Kintsukuroi
by Miah-Chan
Summary: Trouble in the Grass Country requires the aid of Naruto & Sakura; as a duo, they embark on a mission that quickly rises to an A-Rank. Here, they will fight not only for the safety of the Grass, but also for their own steadily-growing feelings for one another; & Sakura will discover a new side to Naruto, never before witnessed. UA; NaruSaku; Dark NaruSaku; CURRENTLY DISCONTINUED.
1. Chapter 1

Hello lovelies! :) I'm _finally_ giving in (perhaps against my better judgement...) and presenting you lovely people with the first chapter of my new **NaruSaku** fic! (Yes, the one I've been hinting at for at least two months, but had yet to provide.)

**A note of forewarning, I'm not sure yet how often I'll be updating new Chapters; typically I try to update relatively often and regularly, since I know how it feels to have to wait on an uncompleted fic, however since I've yet to actually _finish _this fic, I don't want to get ahead of myself and find that you've caught up to me and have to put this fic on a hiatus. I know that's what happened to my last SasuSaku fic and I hate that I'm still leaving readers of "I Just Can't Live A Lie" hanging. . As of the moment, I have ideas brewing for where I want this fic to go; it's simply finding the time (and inspiration) between college and homework to work on it.**

Also, **another quick note**: the title of this fic, as you can see, is currently "Kintsukuroi". I bring this up because the title _may_ be subject to change...I hadn't thought in depth about what I wanted to call this fic (plus I'm horrid with titles) but in order to submit it here, it needed a name. As the story progresses, I may consider re-titling it based on wherever the plot takes us.  
>Also, if you're curious, <em>Kintsukuroi <em>is Japanese; it means "_"to repair with gold"; the art of repairing pottery with gold or silver lacquer and understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken"_. Hopefully that's a bit of foreshadowing as to where this fic may take us... ;)  
>Oh, and <strong>one more thing:<strong> I'm going to begin this fic as **Rated T**, _however,_ it will _very_ likely be changed to **Rated M** once the story progresses into much later chapters.

**Disclaimer:** I do _not _own "Naruto" or any affiliated characters; all such belong to Masashi Kishimoto. :)

Well, without further ado, I present to you:  
><strong>Kintsukuroi<strong>_  
><em>

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

"Baka! You're supposed to _avoid_ the attack!"

"Ne, Sakura-chan?! Really?!"

Haruno Sakura smirked at the sarcasm dripping from Uzumaki Naruto's words as he pulled himself from the newly formed crater on Training Area 3's landscape. His blonde hair was dusty from the debris that still lingered in the air around him, cerulean eyes blinking rapidly to remove the offensive particles in order to watch for Sakura's next attack. He grunted, finally removing himself fully from the crater before turning to sit at the edge of it, legs dangling. Blowing out a breath of relief, he opened his eyes to give his pink-haired kunoichi teammate an amused grin, leaning back on his hands to show his relaxedness. Sakura's smirk deepened.

"You really shouldn't be so at ease; we're still fighting you know." she murmured in his ear from behind. From her position she could witness his grin slowly grow broader and he chuckled lowly. Glancing at her from over his shoulder, his eyes twinkled merrily as he disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Grinning, Sakura jumped away from the crater, holding a defensive position as she waited for a sign of the blonde's upcoming attack, jade eyes quickly assessing the grounds.

For a few moments, the grounds were silent but for Sakura's steady breathing as she focused on locating her sparring partner. She and Naruto had agreed some time ago to spar with one another on a regular basis in order to keep themselves in shape as well as to help and encourage each other with their fighting style and skills. Every now and then, when he was home from missions, they convinced Hatake Kakashi to train with them, especially since he held the Sharingan that would only help them in the long run.

Closing her eyes, Sakura focused on her chakra, mentally measuring the amount she had left as well as the tendrils that stretched out in various locations throughout the crater she had previously created. Knowing she had watched Naruto fall into the depths, she guessed he was likely still down there, plotting some scheme in order to surprise-attack her. Her lips turned upward in a smirk as she mentally followed the line of one of her chakra tendrils that overlapped with a small excess amount of Naruto's. Following the trail, she outlined the direction in her head, trying to find out where it would end and where she could then find Naruto hiding.

_'Ah-ha! There you are—!'_ Her eyes opened with a snap and she quickly jumped into the air, focusing chakra into her feet to give her a push, seconds before Naruto's fist punctured the earth where she had previously stood. Sakura's eyes widened at the blatant attack, though she guessed it wasn't necessarily surprising; after all, the knucklehead was known for his headfirst style of fighting.

"Gotcha, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned, grabbing hold of her ankle. Sakura cursed, kicking her free foot down onto his wrist before remembering the amount of chakra she still had flowing from her jump. She quickly dissipated the chakra, though her foot still connected harshly with his wrist, bone cracking under the force. Naruto gasped, releasing her out of reaction and the two allowed themselves to fall back to the ground, standing only a few feet from one another.

"Damn, Naruto, _gomen nasai_!" Sakura exclaimed, rushing to check on him. Naruto laughed lightly, and waved her apology away before cradling his wrist.

"No big deal, Sakura-chan. You know I've endured worse than this!" he teased as she gently took his injured arm in her hands.

Sakura shrugged and replied, "Maybe so, but—."

Naruto leaned in close, grinning at her before interrupting, "It was pure reaction; don't sweat it! We _are_ training, after all. At least your reflex defenses are good!"

Sakura stared at him a moment, his face so incredibly close to hers she could make out the fine details of his whiskered cheeks and golden eyelashes. Her gaze flitted downward to his mouth, stretched wide in a classic Naruto grin as he waited for her to relinquish her guilt. Quickly she brought her gaze back up to his eyes, currently closed in amusement. Her stomach flip-flopped and suddenly she was grateful he hadn't noticed her quick assessment of him. Putting on a small smile, she simply replied, "Let me heal it for you, at least."

Naruto began to protest, telling her it was an unnecessary waste of chakra on her part since the Kyuubi would repair the damage anyway. Sakura shushed him as she forced him to sit against one of the few trees untouched by their latest sparring match, kneeling before him as she gathered healing medical chakra into her hand to begin treating the fractured bone.

Naruto watched her as she worked, her jade eyes focused on the task at hand, slightly glowing with the reflection of her chakra. Her medical chakra matched her eyes exactly, he mused thoughtfully, taking the time to study her features more closely. Her pink hair, currently pulled back into a low ponytail, had grown out more than she usually allowed it to, reaching the tops of her shoulder-blades rather than its usual length of right above her shoulders. Her bangs hung flirtatiously around her eyes and cheekbones, caressing her porcelain skin whenever the wind breathed. Her normally full lips were pursed in concentration now, teeth kneading her bottom lip habitually. Swallowing hard, Naruto lifted his gaze to safer areas and studied the clouds instead. He forced his gaze to stay there until she finished her task.

"There we go. Good as new!" she smiled, releasing his hand and placing hers on her lap. Naruto gave her a grin, though it wasn't quite as heartfelt as the others; of course, he was used to practicing it, so Sakura couldn't really tell. She gave a sound of satisfaction and stood, stretching out any kinks in her muscles.

"I guess that ends our session for today, neh?" she looked at him expectantly. Naruto laughed a bit and nodded, getting to his feet and mimicking her actions. Lowering his arms he held out a hand to her and they linked their pointer and middle fingers, creating the symbol of harmony and signifying the end to their match. Their hands lingered a bit longer than necessary, though due to whom neither of them wanted to think about.

"So," Naruto began as they released one another and began walking back to town, "want to grab a bite to eat? We've been at it since lunch." He glanced down at Sakura, a good head or so taller than her now.

Her eyes remained focused ahead of them, though she answered with a sigh, "I would, but I have a ton of paperwork I need to finish at the office tonight. Maybe next time." Naruto grunted softly in response and they continued their walk in comfortable silence, parting to go their separate ways with a wave and light, "Good-night."

Sakura closed herself in her office at the hospital for the next few hours, dutifully going over paperwork and signing release forms for patients able to return home or to the field. It remained quiet throughout the building, as night shifts were usually calm, thus enabling her to concentrate better on her work; day shifts were always more erratic, with nurses calling her in at random to check on patients or help with some other hospital duties. She worked late into the night, knowing she ought to go home and get some rest, as well as food, but was unable to pull herself away from the stacks of paper that only ever seemed to grow. Chewing her bottom lip in concentration, she didn't even look up when a knock sounded on the door.

Only after the third knock did Sakura notice, sparing a glance at her desk clock: 12:17 A.M. Damn. Who the hell would be visiting her at this hour?

"Come in," she answered shortly, diving back into her paperwork. The door opened and shut quietly before the mouthwatering aroma of food drifted through the air and to Sakura's nose. Breathing in deeply, she sighed but looked up again in surprise to find Naruto's grinning face only a short few feet from her desk, a carryout bag clutched in one of his hands while the other rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Naruto?" she murmured in surprise. Her gaze flitted towards the carryout bag in his hand before quickly coming back to meet his gaze. One pink brow lifted in question and the blonde ninja quickly stepped forward, plopping the bag down on her desk, luckily missing any of her paperwork.

"I figured you must be starving since you haven't had any dinner, so I brought you something from the barbeque shop since you're not as big a fan of Itchiraku's as I am." he explained, now resting both arms behind his head and smiling. Sakura's brows lifted in surprise, peering at the bag curiously.

"You didn't have to do that. I was just about to head home. Besides, I had a snack earlier..." she trailed off as her stomach rumbled loudly at the lie. Sakura felt her cheeks heat and refused to look at Naruto's smug expression, frowning instead at her cranky stomach. Naruto chuckled as he turned towards the door, waving a hand over his shoulder.

"You're welcome, Sakura-chan. Make sure you get some rest." He was out the door before he even finished his sentence. Slightly shocked, Sakura waited a few beats before ripping into the carryout bag to find out what kinds of goodies were emitting such delicious aromas. She breathed in deeply, savoring the smell of barbequed pork before preparing to dig into the much needed meal. Only once she was nearly finished and settling back into her chair with a contented sigh did she question how Naruto had known her usual order from the barbeque shop, as well as exactly where to find her at such a time of night.

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><p>Thanks for reading! <strong>R&amp;R<strong> is always appreciated and loved! :D

~Miah-Chan


	2. Chapter 2

It appears that Chapter 2 has arrived sooner than I expected. ^^

Thanks to everyone who decided to read, follow and/or review! You're all awesome!

**Disclaimer:** I do _not _own "Naruto" or any affiliated characters; all such belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

"Haruno-san, Haruno-san!" called a frantic voice, seemingly far off. Sakura groaned and lifted her head from her office desk, having once again fallen asleep after another of her late night paperwork sessions. Rubbing her face to get the blood flowing, as well as succeeding in wiping away some smudged ink, Sakura attempted to focus blurry eyes on the subject before her. The nurse was fidgeting, obviously upset and anxious, shifting from foot to foot and wringing her hands as she waited for her superior to awaken enough to take in her next words.

"Yes, what is it?" Sakura sighed, pushing herself from the desk and stretching, smiling in satisfaction at the various pops resounding from her cramped muscles. As she lowered her arms, the nurse stated hurriedly, "We have a Genin squad of patients being emitted as we speak; there was a horrible accident and two are in critical condition."

Sakura's eyes widened briefly before she sprang into action, hurrying around her desk and grabbing her lab jacket as she inquired, "What sort of accident?" The two left the office in a rush as the nurse explained what she knew, as well as where each of the Genin were being treated and the extent of their injuries. Sakura's eyes narrowed as she listened to the seriousness of the situation before she barked out orders for the nurse to follow, she herself hurrying down towards ICU to do what she could for the most critical patient.

XxXxXxX

"I'm here to report, Granny."

Tsunade snorted softly and waved her hand at Naruto for him to continue. He handed her his paperwork detailing his most recent mission while quickly going over the events that had taken place. All in all, he described a successful mission and once he was finished, Tsunade nodded in satisfaction.

"Good, I'm glad it was a relatively quick and easy mission for you." She leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms under her bosom and letting out a deep sigh. Naruto raised a brow at the woman and waited, knowing she was likely about to give him a new mission. He'd been gone for a few days now, the majority of his mission consisting of excessive traveling. He was itching to get home, shower, eat some Itchiraku's ramen, and then go back home to sleep.

"I have a...new mission, of sorts, for you." Tsunade finally told him, her eyes adverted from his as she pretended to gaze out the window over the village. Naruto's brows shot up in surprise at her tone; she seemed tired, exhausted really. Her eyes were sad, which was likely why she didn't want to look at him directly. Naruto's own blue eyes narrowed; what would this new mission entail?

"A new mission? Already?" he asked in a whiney voice, just to attempt to bring Tsunade back to her old self. Her gaze flickered to his, amusement evident. She knew as well as he that he rarely complained about having missions back to back, especially if they were potentially difficult. Unable to help himself, Naruto grinned, pleased to see the sadness drain from her gaze, if only briefly.

"Yes, and it could be rather difficult in its own way." Tsunade continued, placing her elbows on her desk, her chin on her hands, as she watched him. "Really, I suppose it's more of a favor..." She trailed off, frowning and rubbing a hand over her eyes in agitation.

Naruto's grin faded, a frown replacing it as he stepped forward cautiously and asked, "Granny? What's wrong?"

"While you were gone, there was an accident during one of the Genin squad's Chunin Exam testing. Sakura was the head physician at the hospital and had to rush to tend to the emergency. All three Genin were injured, though only two were in critical condition," Tsunade glanced back up to him, her eyes meeting his, though this time they refused to sway.

"She lost one of the children, Naruto."

XxXxXxX

_'I can't believe Sakura-chan has been holing herself up in her apartment all this time,'_ Naruto thought in concern as he stepped up to Sakura's door, knocking. No answer met his request at entrance, so he knocked again, a bit louder, just to be polite. He figured she wouldn't answer, however; Tsunade had said she refused to speak with anyone and became violent if they pressed too hard, having literally thrown some of her friends out of her home when they came to check on her.

_"I've sent some of her closest colleagues and friends to check on her, but she either won't answer the door or kicks them out. I haven't had time to check on her myself yet, but I knew you were coming home soon so I thought maybe you could talk some sense into her. I've had Shizune take over Sakura's role at the hospital, but she'll be needed back soon. Do what you can to straighten her out; if you fail, I'll have to make a personal visit."_

Naruto grimaced as he recalled Tsunade's words, disliking the ideas that came to mind at how her 'personal visit' to Sakura could play out. Their lady-Hokage wasn't exactly known for her patience. Deciding it was time to check on his teammate, he turned the doorknob, sending a bit of chakra into the lock when it refused to open. Once having successfully broken in, he stepped through the threshold and into darkness.

"Sakura-chan?" he called quietly, blindly feeling the wall for a light-switch. Finding none, he waited until his vision adjusted before walking forward, searching for the pink-haired kunoichi. He called out for her again, reaching the middle of the living room and glancing around him in order to familiarize himself as best he could in the dark, listening intently for any sign of Sakura's response. Silence continued to greet him.

"Sakura-chan, it's me, Naruto..." he trailed off, feeling stupid for announcing who he was. Obviously she would know his voice...

Something shifted in a room to his right and he turned, approaching a dark doorway, cautiously peeking around the entrance to investigate its belongings. The curtains had been drawn tightly across the window that occupied the opposite wall, blocking any light that might have managed to sneak its way inside. Naruto squinted but was finally forced to admit he was unable to see anything in the deep darkness. The sun had set not long after he'd visited the Hokage Tower, so even had the curtains been open, there would have been little light to see by.

Stepping quietly and quickly into the room, he hurried over to the curtains and pulled them apart, allowing moonlight to fill the room with its silvery rays. Satisfied, Naruto turned to survey the room, realizing it was Sakura's bedroom; said female was laying in a fetal position under a pile of blankets on her bed.

Naruto grimaced at how sickly she looked; her skin was pale, made more prominently so by the moonlight and the dark circles under her eyes. Her usually shiny, trademark pink hair was lank from sweat and lack of washings. He spotted a multitude of sake bottles littered across her floor and bedside table. Sighing, he approached her bedside, the bed dipping inward as he sat beside her still form. Gulping a bit, he reached out and shook her shoulder to wake her.

"Sakura-chan, you need to get up." No response. Naruto shook her again, a little more forcefully. Sakura groaned and rolled over onto her back, bleary eyes cracking open to find out who was disturbing her. Naruto gave her a small, hesitant smile and said softly, "Hey, Sakura-chan."

"Naruto...?" she squinted at him a moment before frowning, anger and anguish overcoming her features. She pushed his hand away from her and turned back onto her side, facing away from him. "Go away," she mumbled, burying her face into her pillow.

"Sorry, no can do. Granny Tsunade sent me to check on you." His blue eyes studied her sadly. He'd never seen Sakura like this and it didn't settle well with him. Determined, he grabbed the blankets and yanked them off of her. Her body convulsed with the sudden change of temperature and a low growl emitted from her throat. Muscles tense, Naruto waited for her to attempt to kick him out.

"Leave me alone," she growled, groping blindly for her blankets. Naruto tossed them to the end of the bed so that they drooped over the edge, out of her reach. Another growl, longer and louder this time, was heard but he ignored her by standing and finding his way to her bathroom. Flipping on the light, he proceeded to start the shower, setting the temperature until it suited him before returning to Sakura's bed.

She had sat up, her head in her hands, unkempt hair falling around her face, blocking her expression from him. From the various growls and groans coming her way, though, he could tell she was quite unhappy with him. Sighing, he picked his way across the minefield of sake bottles on the floor until he once again stood next to her bed, hands on his hips impatiently.

"C'mon, time to come back to reality," he murmured, reaching out to help her up. Her hand blurred as it smacked his away forcefully; he winced, jerking back and cradling the bruised limb. Sakura let her own hand drop before growling at him, "Go away. I don't need you here."

"Looks like the opposite, if you ask me." He replied, thinking he was seriously insane to be reaching out to her again. This time he managed to grab hold of her wrist and tug gently, though she refused to move. Huffing with impatience, Naruto tugged again more forcefully before Sakura yanked away, batting at his hand again. He jerked back in time to avoid having his hand abused yet again, replacing both on his hips as he glared at his teammate.

"I _didn't_ ask you," she murmured, finally looking up at him. Naruto sucked in a breath; her usually bright eyes were dull, almost unseeing. His heart clenched; he hated seeing that look in her eyes, the look of loss and hopelessness. Biting the inside of his lip, he reached out once more and grabbed both of her wrists, hauling her up until she was on her knees, her eyes level with his chin. He ducked his head so that their eyes could meet evenly and stared hard into her dull jade orbs, waiting until she finally met his gaze.

"Whether you want me to be or not, I'm here. Get up. You need to pull yourself together. The hospital needs you." He told her, tone hard and broking no argument. Sakura's eyes narrowed, anger and grief flashing at his tenor and words; however, it was better than the dull nothingness than before, Naruto thought. They stared each other down a few more moments before Sakura bit out, "Let go of me. I can do it on my own."

Naruto grunted but waited until she planted her feet on the floor before he released her fully. She sneered at him and started forward a few steps before stopping, hunching at the waist and groaning. Naruto was by her side in an instant, asking what was wrong.

"Too...much...sake..." she gasped, her features paling even more, sweat beading on her forehead. Her cheeks puffed out as she gagged, trying to quickly swallow the bile that threatened to make itself a new decorative part of her floor. Naruto wrapped his arms around her, helped her straighten as much as possible and rushed her to the restroom only seconds before she dropped to the tiles, spilling the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

Naruto held her hair back from her face in silence, rubbing soothing circles on her back as she continued to dispose the alcohol from her system. When her retching finally subsided, she slumped against him, drained of strength. He grabbed a washcloth from the edge of the bathtub, allowed it to get wet from the shower spray before wiping her face and neck gently. She lay against him as he did so, eyes closed and body limp from exhaustion. When he was done Naruto tossed the washcloth into the sink and stood, pulling Sakura up with him.

"Do you think you can shower?" he asked quietly, arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her close to support her. At her nod, he helped her support herself against the sink before slipping out of the bathroom to wait until she was done, closing the door behind him.

Finally finding the light-switch, he proceeded to occupy time by gathering and disposing of the many sake bottles littering her room, as well as making the bed and setting out a clean shirt and pajama pants for her, flushing at the thought of trying to locate a pair of panties...

Shaking the thought from his head, he left the bedroom to find the kitchen; it took a few moments to locate the switch for the light, but once he did he set about finding some food that wouldn't further upset Sakura's already sensitive stomach. Slightly out of date crackers and barely a glass of ginger ale completed that task; he set the items on the small table, running a hand through his hair as he wondered what to do next.

_'She'll probably have a killer headache after all that sake,'_ he thought, already beginning to rummage through her cabinets for the appropriate medication. He had just found the pill bottle when there was a dull _thump_ from the bathroom. Setting the bottle on the table next to the ale, he hurried back into Sakura's bedroom and knocked on the bathroom door.

"You okay, Sakura-chan?" he called, concern evident in his voice. When the kunoichi didn't respond he debated with himself on the safety of entering the bathroom while she was still in there. A few seconds later he cautiously entered the steamy bathroom, focusing his eyes on his feet as he inquired, "Sakura-chan?"

Quiet sobs reached his ears and he momentarily forgot to be respectful, hurrying to the shower stall; he stopped just short of yanking back the shower curtain, remembering himself just in time. He sat on the toilet instead, sighing, and said quietly, "Let's talk about it."

"There's nothing to talk about!" she cried, sniffling. By the shadow behind the shower curtain he could tell she sat in the tub, knees drawn to her chest. Her head tilted towards him and he listened to her sniffle some more before prying again, "Sakura-chan...you've got to get this off your chest. C'mon, you know you can talk to me about it."

A few more moments he endured his own kind of agony as he listened to her sob before finally she murmured brokenly, "A squad of Genin were emitted to the hospital after a rockslide injured them during the Chunin Exams' second part in the Forrest of Death; it put two in critical condition. A Chunin who was routinely scouting the area heard the less injured crying out for help and found them before hurrying to bring them in for treatment." Her voice had taken on an empty tone, as though she were reciting a well-memorized speech. Naruto kept quiet, listening intently as she continued, "I was able to save one of the critically injured, but the other...she was just..." Sakura burst into a new fit of sobs, the sound sending chills down Naruto's spine. He waited for her new bought of sobs to lessen before he decided to speak.

"I'm sure you did all you could, Sakura-chan. It would be impossible for you to be able to save everyone who came into your care," he murmured, knowing it wasn't the most comforting thing to say, but the truth nonetheless. Sakura sniffled from behind the curtain, but her sobs had stopped.

"I know...but Naruto..." she paused as if her next words were too difficult to utter. A shaky breath later, Naruto's heart just about stopped as heard her say, "It was Moegi...from Konohamaru's squad."

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><p>Yeah...uhm...maybe I should mention a few things about me, if you're a new reader.<p>

**1.)** I kill off characters. Frequently. ^^;;  
><strong>2.)<strong> I think that this fic is going to be on the...darker side than what was originally planned. That said, Naruto won't always be the goofball and Sakura will have issues of her own. I feel like it makes them more relatable/real.  
><strong>3.)<strong> I realized-belatedly-that I mentioned Sakura's diamond seal in the first chapter . That was an accident; when I first started writing this, it wasn't intended as a story, and I typically write these two in a future setting, after Sakura's seal is basically common knowledge. I've fixed it now, so please think of them as being set in a time period _before_ Chapter 493 (that's the chapter we discover Dark Naruto). I'm not even sure when exactly I've set this ^^;; Before Pein's attack, for certain, though. Maybe a point in time relatively close to Sai's addition to their team? I don't know. It's some AU-ish thing! Roll with it! :D

Anyway, thanks for reading; R&R is always loved and appreciated! :D

~Miah-Chan


	3. Chapter 3

New chappie! Big thanks to all of you who have followed/reviewed! It's extremely appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** I do _not_ own "Naruto" or any affiliated characters; all such belong to Masashi Kishimoto. :)

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

"Thanks for walking me to work, Naruto." Sakura gave her friend a brave smile, something she was beginning to do more often since the previous month of Moegi's death. After the initial shock and grief experienced at the news of the sweet little girl's passing, Naruto had continued to comfort Sakura that night, making sure she was taken care of and had promised to return to work the following day before he had gone home. It had been just over a month since the incident and Sakura seemed to be faring well enough; she was working her usual shifts and had begun to train again on a regular basis. Naruto had taken up walking her to work in the mornings, at first to ensure she actually went before it simply became an enjoyable habit.

"No problem," he answered, glancing at the Hokage Tower. Sakura's gaze followed his and she inquired, "Got a new mission coming up?" Naruto shrugged, his thoughts obviously elsewhere. Sakura smiled to herself before she touched his shoulder to get his attention.

"I'm heading in now. See you later."

Naruto smiled for her as she turned and entered the hospital to begin her day. He turned towards the Hokage Tower, walking along the crowded streets deep in thought.

As terrible as the situation was with Moegi's death, he had found himself growing closer to Sakura because of it. She had vented to him that night, telling him all of her anger, guilt and grief over not being able to save Moegi; he had listened patiently, knowing his own grieving would have to come after he left her. It was the first time she had seemed to trust him so completely with her thoughts and feelings, trusting him to be there with a comforting shoulder and patient ear. It made him happy to see her finally starting to talk to him honestly.

_'I'm hopeless,'_ he thought with a sigh, frowning at his feet. He couldn't help that he was in love with Sakura; he had been since their days at the Academy. Her newfound comfort and trust in him only caused his feelings to intensify while hope swelled in his heart. But he knew the truth, the ever constant truth.

She still loved Sasuke.

His frown deepened, crinkling his brow under his forehead protector. Jealously had long since diminished from his feelings toward the subject of Sakura's affections; now, only confusion came to the forefront of his mind when he happened to think too deeply about it. He just didn't understand what drew her to Sasuke so passionately; sure, the guy was good looking and girls tended to dig the mysterious-bad-boy-with-a-haunted-past thing, but besides that, what was so special?

Naruto blew out his breath in a huff, causing the bangs over his forehead to flutter. He just needed a nice, solitary, thought-consuming mission to distance himself from the useless hope that swelled whenever he was around the pink-haired kunoichi too long. His feelings had deepened over the years, especially recently as he witnessed the various strengths Sakura possessed, the proof of how much she had grown; it made him want her all the more. That want, the undeniable yet still suppressed yearning for her, had been making it increasingly more difficult to deal with while hanging out with her. It had been building for months, yet since that night Tsunade had sent him to Sakura's apartment to help her it had become nearly all-consuming. It was difficult to repress the urges to finally, _finally_, just make a move and do something about it, so much so that walking with her, training with her, talking with her were almost physically painful.

_'I just need a mission to get some distance and regroup,'_ he decided with a firm nod to himself. Finding himself having arrived at the Hokage Tower, he quickly ascended the stairs and made his way to Tsunade's office, walking in without bothering to knock as per usual.

"What's up, Granny?" he greeted her with a grin, which widened when she growled "brat!" in response. He plopped in a chair in front of her desk, stretching his legs out and resting his hands behind his head, the epitome of relaxedness. His eyes twinkled with mischief and he demanded, "Oi, so when's my next mission? Give me a hard one! I need some adventure."

Tsunade rolled her eyes at him, putting down her pen to steeple her fingers in front of her mouth while she studied him, making him wait for her to answer; it didn't take long before he began to fidget impatiently, anxious to receive a new mission.

"Granny!" he whined, pouting at her as he crossed his arms over his chest. She grinned behind her fingers, but relented and said, "Well, it just so happens I _did_ receive an interesting request recently. Might not be your cup of tea, though."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly in interest, as she knew would happen simply because she had suggested he likely wouldn't enjoy it. He sat forward, waving a hand at her in denial, saying earnestly, "As long as it's not a C or D-rank, I'm game!" Tsunade snorted, only adding to fuel his determination to go. He couldn't have Tsunade-baa-chan underestimating him!

"C'mon, Granny, cough it up! Let me hear the details of this mission!" he insisted.

Pausing heavily, just to irritate him, Tsunade waited until he looked ready to burst before continuing, "It's a request from the Grass Country. It appears that their neighbors, the Rain Country, have been slowly moving in on the Grass's lands, crossing the border and gaining political control over many of the larger villages to benefit the Rain Country financially. This has sent the majority of the Grass Country residents into a bit of a financial hole, especially some of their smaller villages. One village in particular is about to hit bankruptcy, and due to the Rain's hold over most of the Grass's purse-strings, they're unable to receive the proper finances needed to pick themselves up. To make matters worse, much of the village is very sickly and, again, due to lack of finance, they are unable to afford a suitable doctor. With half of the village down for the count, it's been difficult for them to get to their feet again; those of the Rain controlling the money have agreed to give them a suitable amount to keep the village from collapsing, but they're still in dire need of outside assistance."

Naruto's excitement had seemed to dwindle a bit at the less than adventurous mission, though he did still look willing to help those in need, regardless. Tsunade smiled to herself; that was one of the things she admired greatly about the boy: his desire to help those unable to help themselves.

"Typically I wouldn't do this," she mused, tapping a pen against her lips thoughtfully. "Kakashi is busy with his own assignment and you've yet to gain a new teammate. But they need assistance and you're available…so I guess there's not much decision. Besides, it's not a hostile situation, and the remaining of Squad 7 are more than capable; with Sakura taking on the role of Captain due to her Chunin rank, the two of you are officially assigned this mission. Her medical skills will be needed excessively. Depending on how much needs to be done to get the village back on its feet, as well as how long it takes for those who are sickly to heal, this will be a long-term mission. I won't expect you back for a several months unless you're desperately needed. The two of you can leave tomorrow morning, since Sakura's shift at the hospital won't end until mid-evening. Oh, and pack warmly; I hear autumn is hitting the Grass Country a bit early." Finished with her orders, Tsunade dismissed Naruto and began working once more on the paperwork covering her desk.

Naruto left the office in a daze, making his way back to his apartment to begin packing the essentials that would be needed during the mission. Once done, he set about making sure his apartment would be secure while he was gone and then cleaning out any food or drink that might spoil during his absence. Finally complete with all such tasks, he made his way towards the hospital; it was close to time for Sakura's shift to end. Of course, she'd likely go straight to her office to work on that never-ending pile of paperwork.

_'Incredible. I go to Granny Tsunade in hopes for a mission to get some space and leave with a long-term one with the exact person I need space from! What the hell am I going to do now?'_ he thought darkly, a frown marring his lips as he walked into the hospital lobby. The secretary greeted him warmly, which he absentmindedly returned, asking for Sakura's whereabouts. Sure enough, the little brunette pointed to the hall that led to her office and Naruto thanked her before moving away.

He knocked on the door, entering before Sakura could answer. She lifted her gaze from a pile of papers, locking jade to cobalt. For a moment, neither looked away or said anything, too focused on each other to interrupt the other's thoughts. Finally, Naruto lifted a hand in greeting and smiled, saying, "Hey. Got some news." Sakura lifted her brow, something he had noticed she did often when she felt it unnecessary to ask or say the obvious.

"Granny Tsunade is sending us on a long-term mission together to Grass Country." He proceeded to explain the situation, reminding her to pack warmly before suggesting they meet at eight A.M. sharp to head out. The trip to the Grass Country would take a good number of days itself. Once he had finished, Sakura gave him a smile and agreed to meet him at the gates the next morning at the agreed time. Nodding in satisfaction, he bid her a good night and turned to walk out the door. Pausing, hand on the knob, he turned to look back at her.

"Want me to walk you home?" he asked, startling her again from her paperwork which she had just refocused on. Sakura smiled again and shook her head.

"Thanks, but I'll be fine. I just want to finish this up and then I'll head out." At Naruto's skeptical look, she huffed and said with a touch of irritability, "I'm a big girl, you know." That caused Naruto to grin and chuckle, rubbing the back of his head.

"Okay, but I'm telling your secretary that if you're still here in an hour to get in touch with me; then I'll drag you back to your apartment." Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed again before exiting the office to head home himself.

* * *

><p>Hope you enjoyed!<br>I'm really horrible with anything mildly 'political', so I hope the big ramble of why they have to go to Grass Country makes some semblance of sense. XD  
>Apologies to those who might have liked to have seen Naruto's reaction to Moegi's death; the first few chapters were moved along relatively fast to get to the main plot quicker.<p>

Thanks for reading! As always, reviews are deeply appreciated! ^^  
>~Miah-Chan<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do _not_ own "Naruto" or any affiliated characters; all such belong to Masashi Kishimoto. :)

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><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

"Are you sure you don't want to start setting up camp?"

"If you ask me that one more time, so help me God..."

Naruto laughed nervously and lifted both hands in the universal 'I'm harmless' motion, side-stepping a few more feet away from Sakura and her stormy expression. She knew he only asked because she'd been unable to stifle the past couple of yawns, but damn, she wasn't a new Genin on her first mission! She knew her limitations and, damn it, she wasn't at them yet.

"It's just that you seem tired," Naruto began, glancing at her with concern. "I bet you didn't get to bed early enough last night." This time he looked at her pointedly and she sniffed, pointing her nose in the air and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't think it's any of your business," she replied snootily, though she snuck a glance at him from the corner of her eye. His expression darkened almost unperceptively before his lips turned upward into a smirk. Sakura frowned to herself; why had his initial reaction been something akin to anger? She wasn't his responsibility, after all; she could make the decision to work late before having to get up early for a mission...it may have been a stupid decision, but it was still hers to make!

"You may be right," Naruto agreed, nodding his head in her direction. "But, as Captain of our team, it's your responsibility to make sure you're in top shape before the mission starts. I can't have my only teammate and medic slipping up on the job because she failed to follow protocol and get adequate rest before our mission's start." He looked at her meaningfully and she growled halfheartedly, assuming he was joking. A good look in his eyes told her immediately he was not. She quirked a brow; since when had Naruto become so...responsible?

At her lack of immediate response, Naruto shrugged and continued, "Once we find a good clearing, we'll set up." It wasn't a request. This time Sakura did growl, and loudly. Naruto blatantly ignored her and walked ahead, leading the way.

_'Damn it. I hate to admit it, but he's right; I'm shirking my Captain duties by starting on a mission improperly prepared. Still…he's not usually so irritable.'_ She thought dejectedly, frowning at the blonde's black and orange clad back. It was unlike her friend to treat her so coolly; the Naruto that she was used to would have been ecstatic to be on a long-term mission for just the two of them. He'd have teased her that it was Tsunade-sama's way of forcing them into a date or something similar. Instead, he was distant and quiet save for a few glimpses of his usual personality.

_'Maybe he's angry with you for what happened to Moegi...'_ the thought flitted through her mind before she even knew where her thoughts had led. She grimaced. She wouldn't be surprised; he had become very close to Konohamaru's squad over the years and she was supposed to be one of Konoha's best medic nins. He'd probably held her in high esteem and now she'd let him down by allowing one of his friends' teammates die...

Konohamaru himself wasn't speaking to her; she didn't think it was out of hostility but more the rawness of the grief still gripping his heart. It had only been a month, after all; not long in the scheme of things. She didn't blame him if he was unable to forgive her; she doubted she'd ever forgive herself. What good was she if she couldn't even save—?

"Sakura," Naruto's voice cut sharply through the darkness of her thoughts. Sakura's gaze shot up to meet his blue eyes, so distant and closed off. He raised a blonde brow at her and repeated, "Here looks good to me. What do you think?"

So now she had a say in the matter? Sakura kept her smirk to herself; at least he wasn't completely angry with her as to disregard her opinion. She gazed around the clearing and nodded in agreement before they began to set up camp in silence.

Once the tent was up and the campfire lit, both made themselves comfortable, Naruto lying on his back, stargazing, while Sakura stared into the flames as though they held the secret to life. They were quiet until Naruto finally murmured, "You hungry?"

"I guess," was Sakura's reply, her eyes still focused on the flames licking the air. She heard Naruto shift and rummage through one of his packs before reflexively catching the item he tossed at her. Breaking her gaze from the fire, she looked down to find a MRE. Her nose scrunched up in distaste and she looked to Naruto questioningly. She found him grinning at her, munching on an apple.

"I'd rather cook from scratch," Sakura told him dryly, throwing the MRE at him and clonking him on the head with it. He laughed, seemingly back to himself, and replaced the item into the bottom of his pack. He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she grinned, finally relaxing.

"I wouldn't complain if some fish were to magically appear..." he trailed off suggestively, finishing off his apple and tossing the core over his shoulder. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him playfully and replied, "And I suppose you also wouldn't mind if I were the one to help that wish come true?" At his unabashed grin she shook her head, hiding her own smile, and stood, dusting off the seat of her pants.

"Oh, alright, but only because I'm hungry and fish sounds really good right now," she agreed, stalking off towards the creek they had come upon earlier to wash off and spear some dinner.

Naruto watched her retreating back and breathed out a sigh of relief. He knew she'd noticed he'd been acting strangely around her; he hadn't meant to, but the sheer proximity was killing him. He didn't know how he was going to get any rest tonight having to sleep in the same tent as her. He was tempted to simply sleep outside but, for one, the temperature was rapidly dropping since autumn had decided to arrive a bit earlier this year, and secondly…he was kind of secretly excited about the prospect of sleeping so near his life-long crush. It was a constant tug-of-war to keep his composure even remotely respectable; if he had to be somewhat distant for that to happen, so be it. He'd made a fool of himself over his infatuation with her enough times to last the rest of his life; for once, he was trying to be respectful of her feelings, even if it cost him.

He gazed into the fire, wondering what it was she had been seeing as she'd done the same thing earlier.

XxXxXxX

_'More...you should have...done more...why didn't you do more? Why didn't you save her?! Why are you so worthless?! You can't do anything right...only get in everyone's way...  
>Useless.<br>Useless!'_

Sakura whimpered in her sleep, enfolding her body into a tight fetal position as her doubts and long-buried self-loathing attacked her through her dreams in the image of Naruto. A tear trailed down her cheek, unnoticed as it escaped and then was swept away by a gentle finger.

Naruto lay on his stomach, head resting on one of his arms as he slowly brought the other back towards his body after wiping away the salty droplet. He watched Sakura's features sadly, unsure of what he could do to ease her pain. It was tempting to wake her, but he knew she wouldn't appreciate knowing he was seeing her like this. He tucked his hand under his chin in an effort not to touch her again and settled for studying her instead.

She was huddled into herself, scrunching her body as tightly together as she could get it, muscles tense and defensive against the onslaught of her subconscious. Her hair was plastered against her neck and forehead with sweat despite the cold air surrounding them outside of their sleeping-bags. Her eyes were screwed shut tightly, her mouth set in a grim line that was sometimes broken only when she began to knead her bottom lip with her teeth in distress. Her fists clenched and unclenched at random, nails biting into the skin of her palms while her feet periodically kicked at the confines of her sleeping-bag as though she were trying to run from whatever nightmare plagued her.

Naruto closed his eyes against the scene, flipping over onto his back. He attempted to block out the sounds from his sleeping companion while images of her troubled face plagued his mind. He tossed and turned for a while, willing himself to sleep and escape the building need to pull her close to him and calm her; finally, after hours of restlessness, he opted for leaving the small confines of their tent to get some fresh air.

Stepping from the warmth of his sleeping-bag and into the frigid night air sent chills racing over every inch of exposed skin, but he ignored the minor discomfort by pacing around their camp, his mind unforgiving in its effort to tempt him into racing back to Sakura to sooth and comfort her however he could.

Cursing under his breath, he finally paused near the remaining embers of their campfire to stare up into the night sky, seeking comfort and resolve in the stars.

'_This is going to be a long mission,_' he thought with a frown, scrubbing a hand over his face before running it through his already messy hair. His cerulean eyes studied the stars, finding little comfort in their twinkling forms as he wondered how he was going to effectively complete the mission when his emotions were so out of control. Normally he could hide these things behind a grin and a laugh, but not this time; Sakura knew him too well and, well, she was the source of his issues. Even if she asked what his problem was, he couldn't answer honestly.

"Fuck!" he snarled, turning away from the stars and pacing around the campfire embers. Little sounds of frustration found their way from his throat without his notice, imitating growls; he paced like a caged beast, a feeling completely at odds with the spacious forest around him.

He didn't know how long he had been outside of the tent before his antics must have roused his teammate, but suddenly a quiet voice called, "Naruto?"

He stopped his pacing and glanced over his shoulder towards the tent and the object of his frustrations. His expression softened as he took in Sakura's disheveled appearance; her bedhead, fuzzy and tickling her cheeks, her sleepy eyes that still hadn't quite managed to take in the extent of the scene before her, her slightly glossy skin from the nightmare-induced sweat cooling in the frosty air. Her green eyes met his questioningly and he nearly groaned with the emotions coursing through him at that utterly vulnerable look.

"Are you okay?" she trailed off and Naruto answered with the first thing that came to mind.

"Just needed to use the bathroom," he replied to her question and grinned slightly as she wrinkled her nose in feminine distaste. But, as he had intended, it threw her off enough to rid her eyes of the vulnerability that was so disarming to him and she snorted slightly.

"Well, if you're done, come back to bed before you catch a cold," she said simply, disappearing again behind the tent flap. Naruto groaned quietly at her choice of words; _come back to bed..._yeah, if only he could do that the way he wanted to—snuggled up next to her. But he obeyed, returning to his sleeping-bag quietly. Sakura was in hers again, facing away from him, though by her breathing he could tell she wasn't asleep yet.

"Good night, Sakura-chan." He said quietly, shifting to get comfortable. Sakura was silent a moment longer before replying, "Good night, Naruto."

* * *

><p><strong>Quick notes:<strong>  
>1.) I didn't forget the "-chan" when Naruto addressed Sakura about setting up camp in the clearing. You'll find that I have him drop the suffix from her name at times when he's being entirely serious or needs to get her attention.<br>2.) MRE = Meal, Ready-to-Eat.

Hope you enjoyed! Apologies if this fic seems to be dragging on...I'll try to get them into some form of action soon! Until then, thanks for reading! **R&R **is _always_ appreciated and loved! ^^

~Miah-Chan


	5. Chapter 5

Whoops, sorry it's been a little while since the last UD guys. ^^; However, I did mention I wasn't certain about how often I'd update on this. College tends to be a big factor when it comes to fanfction for me.

**Disclaimer:** I do _not_ own "Naruto" or any affiliated characters; all such belong to Masashi Kishimoto. :)

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><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

"Wow, this place is a dump."

"Naruto!"

"What?! It is!"

Sakura shook her head as they took in the surroundings that would soon become their temporary home. While his observation may have been rudely put, it was true; the village was in extremely poor condition. The buildings were dilapidated, paint grey and peeling while the wood was warped and sunken in on itself, giving the appearance of unsteady structures about to fall in on themselves; any people wandering about seemed just as grey and unsteady as their village. The entire atmosphere was one of disillusionment and despair.

"I guess we should find Noboru-san and plan out our next steps as to what we need to do," Sakura murmured as they began walking together through the village. The villagers periodically glanced at them in confusion, non-interest, or hate; many were not fond of having outsiders, regardless of their purpose.

After a not-so-pleasant walk through the village, the two finally found the man they were looking for in the small building that Sakura assumed was supposed to pass for a hospital. Noboru Satoshi was the village's leader, a man in his late fifties with salt-and-pepper hair and a matching goatee who stood at an intimidating six-foot despite his age. However, in spite of his daunting appearance, Satoshi was generally good-natured and pleasant; he gave his two visitors a quick rundown of the village's needs, giving Sakura a tour of their hospital while promising to personally escort her to the many home-visits that would be needed while explaining to Naruto who to see in reference with helping to rebuild their crumbling village.

"Well, hopefully that's not too much to process at once," he grinned at them when they had finally finished their tours and talks. Sakura smiled at him and shook her head, replying, "Of course not, we're happy to help. When should we get started?" Satoshi laughed, a booming sound that drew attention and smiles from those around him.

"All in due time," he told her, brown eyes twinkling. "I'm sure it can wait until tomorrow. I've arranged for you to stay with my good friend Kiyoshi Amaya; she's a widow and her children have long since been lost to war. She's more than happy to help you with anything you need and provide you with comfortable lodging. I'll escort you there."

A short walk later they were left with a woman similar to Satoshi in age with white-streaked auburn hair and playful, loving emerald eyes. She greeted them with enthusiasm and ushered them into her modest home, giving them a quick tour and showing them their room.

"I'm sorry I can't supply you with individual rooms," she said remorsefully, wringing her hands. "But as you can see, my home isn't very large; just room enough for a single old lady." Naruto tossed a grin over his shoulder at her and waved away her worry.

"No problem! Sakura-chan and I have had to deal with worse, trust me; this is great!" he walked over to the bed and tossed his packs onto it while Sakura gave the woman her own smile.

"We're very grateful for your hospitality, Kiyoshi-san." She told the woman, whose eyes sparkled with joy at having guests to care for after having been alone for so long.

"Amaya, please," the woman replied, giving Sakura a grin that could even have challenged Naruto's. Sakura acquiesced and murmured, "Arigato, Amaya-san."

Amaya's grin widened and she hurried off in order to give her guests some privacy and space to settle. Sakura slid the door closed quietly and turned to find Naruto unpacking and setting up his sleeping-bag in a corner of the room farthest from the bed.

A delicate pink brow rose questioningly and Sakura asked, "What are you doing?"

"Setting up my bed...?" Naruto answered, glancing over his shoulder at her with a look that suggested he thought her eyesight was faulty. Sakura huffed as she tossed her bags onto the queen-sized bed and began to unpack her own supplies.

"I can see that, just as I can see that the bed is plenty big enough for two," she answered in a practical tone, ignoring the squawk that came from Naruto at her words. He floundered for a reply as she silently began to hang up her clothes in the closet before putting her toiletry items in the adjoining bathroom. When she returned to the bedroom, Naruto had finally gained his composure.

"We can't share a bed, Sakura-chan!" he cried, arms flailing as he knelt next to his sleeping-bag. Sakura raised a brow at him, eyes widening as she thought she heard a growl rumble from him at the action.

"Why not? We're adults, Naruto, jeez. There's no sense in you sleeping on the floor when there's a perfectly comfortable bed big enough for the both of us; it's not like I'm asking you to share the shower with me." She smirked as a blush bloomed over his face and then playfully bumped her fist over his head, saying, "Baka, get your mind out of the gutter."

"_Nani?!_ _You_ brought up showering together!" he cried, his blush deepening from tomato to scarlet. Sakura hid her grin; she was actually enjoying teasing him. It wasn't often she got the best of Uzumaki Naruto in the sexual innuendo's department.

"Well, it makes more sense to me for us both to share the bed instead of sleeping on the floor and potentially losing sleep due to discomfort. I mean, we always have to sleep in tents on the hard ground or rocks; let's take advantage of this opportunity." She glanced at his still-flushed face and shrugged. "Of course, if you want to be uncomfortable, feel free to sleep on the floor. It's just an offer."

With that said, she went back to unpacking, whistling softly all the while utterly unaware of how completely she had just upturned Naruto's world with just one recommendation.

XxXxXxX

'_Uncomfortable, she says. The sensible thing to do, she says. Plenty of room, she says._' Naruto thought a little hysterically as he lay in bed with the pink-haired kunoichi that night. They lay with their backs to one another but he could easily feel her body heat against his skin, feel every subtle shift the sheets made against him whenever she moved. He rarely slept in anything other than boxers or shorts, but he was thinking he might have to invest in a full-body suit if he wanted to survive this mission while sleeping in the same bed as Sakura. He worried his bottom lip almost abusively with his teeth, staring at the opposite wall blankly.

While he had understood the logic of what Sakura had been suggesting, he had assumed he might have adequate time to prepare himself, but no; they hadn't gotten to the village until mid-afternoon, and by the time all the briefing, tours, unpacking and dinner were done, night had well and truly fallen. Before he had even realized it, Sakura had stripped to her black sports bra and biker shorts and was comfortably in the bed, waiting expectantly for him to do the same so she could turn off the bedside lamp and go to sleep. He had joined her, having no other choice; he couldn't come up with any excuse to stay up later, because they'd already agreed that getting to bed earlier would help improve their work tomorrow, not to mention he was exhausted for various reasons, sleep deprivation being one of the minor ones.

'_I am not going to survive this mission,_' he fretted silently, worrying his bottom lip even more. He stiffened as Sakura shifted, turning over to face his back; a few moments of breath-holding and intensive listening had him breathing out a sigh of relief that she still seemed to be asleep. Until...

"Damn it, Naruto. Would you relax already? I'm not going to assassinate you in your sleep, you know," Sakura huffed quietly; he could imagine perfectly the frown she likely wore, one that pursed her lips and drew down her brows and made her look oh-so-kissable. He groaned inwardly, the thought only causing his tension to increase.

"What is your problem?!" Sakura growled, grabbing his shoulder and forcibly turning him onto his back so she could look into his eyes. He quickly adverted them and answered lamely, "Nothing, Sakura-chan, I'm just not used to sleeping in the same bed as someone else." Sakura's answering growl told him his lie hadn't gone over as smoothly as he might have liked.

"Stop bullshitting me, Naruto. You've been acting weird ever since Tsunade-shishou gave us this mission! Is it me? Did I do something to upset you?" Her angry tone lessened towards the end and she paused, as though realizing something, before murmuring, "That's it, isn't it? You're angry with me for what happened with Moegi."

"_What?!_" he gasped, his gaze swinging to meet hers in shock. Her jade orbs were glassy with unshed tears and she looked away, blinking them away rapidly. Forgetting his issues with being in such close proximity with her in the first place, Naruto flipped over onto his side so that they were chest to chest and grabbed her chin gently, upturning her face to his so that she could look in his eyes when he answered, "Hell no, Sakura-chan! That's not it at all! I know what happened with Moegi wasn't your fault; you did all you could and I will _never_ fault you for giving your best! Why in the world would you think I was angry with you for that?"

Sakura shrugged awkwardly, replying softly, "I mean, it wasn't such a farfetched assumption; you've been acting so distant from me and that's the only thing that's happened recently so I thought…I mean, you're so close with Konohamaru and his team, so..." She gazed into his eyes and he saw clearly how open those wounds still were. Cursing lowly, he pulled her into a hug, tucking her head under his chin as he pulled her close to his chest.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I didn't want you to think I was upset with you for anything, especially not that. I'm not angry with you or anything...there's just a lot of shit going through my head right now that I'm trying to figure out and you've just been the nearest person to me lately...I don't mean to take it out on you." He sighed, his breath stirring tendrils of pink hair that immediately wisped upwards to caress his chin. They were silent for a while, each lost in their own thoughts before Sakura sighed against his chest.

"What's been bothering you so much? If not what happened to Moegi, what could be...?" she trailed off, but he knew what she wanted to ask: _what could be so troubling that it's changing you from who I knew?_

"I...I can't really...explain," he told her, wincing at how obvious the lie seemed. Sakura stiffened slightly, recognizing the words for what they were, but she didn't pull away. She seemed to contemplate for a while before slowly releasing the tension from her shoulders.

"Okay. I won't push...this time. But seriously, you need to do something about it; go train your ass off or something and stop taking it out on me." Naruto felt her teasing smile, but her words only made him feel even guiltier; he _had_ been taking his issues out on her and she didn't deserve it. Sakura seemed to notice the tension that stiffened his muscles again and sighed. She shifted so that her head wasn't trapped and looked up, bumping her nose to the underside of his chin in a friendly, playful gesture.

"Relax," she murmured, bumping him again before settling her head back into its previous nook. "Get some rest. There's time tomorrow to sort it all out; right now, you need sleep or you'll be dead on your feet tomorrow." Naruto began to retort that he didn't think he could sleep right now, but she beat him to it.

"Shut up, close your eyes, and try to sleep before I medically sedate your stubborn ass," she growled, looking up to bump his chin one last time with her nose before pulling away, almost instinctively knowing he needed his space. She flipped over to give him her back, snuggling up to her pillow without a word while Naruto reeled from the tender gestures and sudden emptiness in his arms.

He lay there for a long while, staring up at the ceiling, contemplating their conversation and actions; Sakura had long since fallen asleep again, and this time when she flipped over to face him, he didn't flinch at the skin-to-skin contact that ensued when her hand draped over his chest. He smiled a bit, tracing the length of her forearm lazily with the tips of his fingers, knowing she wouldn't be aware of the action. As time passed his actions became increasingly slower, sluggish with fatigue, and his eyes eventually fluttered closed, sleep finally capturing his stubborn mind and providing him with much needed rest.

To his right, Sakura's lips tilted into a satisfied smirk.

* * *

><p><em>Noboru<em> = virtuous  
><em>Satoshi<em> = wise  
><em>Kiyoshi<em> = quiet  
><em>Amaya<em> = night rain

Apologies if the story-line seems to be moving along slowly. I still wasn't certain where I was going with this story at the point that this chapter was written. It'll start to speed up in time.  
>I'll try to UD again soon. Thanks for reading! <strong>R&amp;R is loved!<strong>

~Miah-Chan


	6. Chapter 6

Oh wow, so it's been almost a month since I last updated, I am SO sorry guys! DX I completely lost track of time, I did not realize it had been that long lol. My bad! Maybe a really rather fluffy chapter will make it up to you...? :3

**Disclaimer: **I do _not_ own "Naruto" or any affiliated characters; all such belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

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><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

The weeks passed gradually, both Naruto and Sakura falling into specific routines to help the village in their own ways. Sakura was often at the hospital or running from home to home from before sunup until after sundown, returning to Amaya's only for a quick dinner before falling into bed; Naruto was put to work helping to rebuild the town, often gone even before Sakura woke and usually returning as she was falling asleep. Sakura chose to ignore the nagging sense that his schedule worked out this way less because of how long the villagers needed him and more because he was avoiding her; she knew due to her own hectic schedule how unpredictable their current lifestyle could be. Still, she found herself missing him as she climbed into an empty bed every night...another nagging sensation she chose to ignore.

Sakura managed to finish up with her now-regular rounds at the hospital a bit earlier one evening and, after deciding to make some quick house-calls, headed back to Amaya's home. She took her time wandering throughout the village streets, which were still relatively empty with so many sickly or working villagers out; those who were home often gave her a genuine smile and a joyful greeting, which she returned without stopping. It was amazing how quickly the majority of the villagers had changed their minds about their initial negativity towards the newcomers; but then, once they realized they were only there to help, they began to instantly warm up.

Normally Sakura would have paused and conversed a while, building rapport with the villagers, both to be nice and to gain their trust in case the need ever arose for her to have to care for them or their loved ones. However, today was a bit more special than the rest and she had to take advantage of the extra time she'd received in order to prepare for the plans she'd made with Amaya-san earlier in the week. A grin made its way merrily across her lips as she thought about it; hopefully everything would work out perfectly!

Once she reached Amaya's, she discarded her jacket and work clothing, changing into something more casual; a mint-green sweater over white pants, feet bare. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail, its length now reaching the nape of her neck rather than its usual short, spiky style from when it was cut. Hurrying to the kitchen, she greeted Amaya warmly with a kiss to the cheek and began to help her with preparations for dinner.

The next time Sakura got a chance to glance at the time, it was past nine o'clock and there was yet to be any sign of Naruto. She frowned, hoping that he wouldn't return as late as he had been lately; dinner would be cold and she wasn't sure she could stay up all that late, even if she had gotten off work early. However, fifteen minutes later she heard the front door open and slide shut, the shuffle of shoes being removed, and then bare feet padding towards their bedroom before returning a few moments later heading towards the kitchen. Sakura grinned at Amaya, who grinned back, and the two remained silent as Naruto approached.

"Oi, Amaya-baa-chan, sorry I'm late; is there any dinner left...?" Naruto's voice carried down the hall, ending abruptly as he entered the kitchen to be met with the two females exclaiming, "Happy birthday Naruto!" as they grinned with all their worth.

"S-Sakura-chan...baa-chan...?" the blonde stuttered in confusion, looking from one female to the other and back again. Amaya laughed heartily and waved him in, motioning towards the small feast on the table before them.

"Come, eat, Naruto-kun! There is plenty to be had," she told him, beaming with pleasure at the surprise still evident in his eyes. Naruto took a hesitant step forward, glancing at Sakura, who grinned at him, pulling him down to sit once he got close enough. She placed a large bowel of miso-pork ramen in front of him and gestured, saying, "Eat up!"

"Ramen!?" he cried in delight. "But I thought the village didn't sell it here?" He grinned finally, happiness lighting up his blue eyes as he dug into the noodles. Sakura smiled secretively before giving in to his question, replying, "They don't, but I packed some for the trip; I knew you'd go crazy without at least one night with your favorite meal; what better night than your birthday?" Naruto gazed at her silently for a moment, his blue eyes wide with something akin to shock. Sakura's smile began to fade as she recognized the emotion and she placed a hand near his elbow questioningly. Naruto's grin instantly reappeared and he replied, "Arigato, Sakura-chan!" before digging into his birthday dinner.

The three ate, talked, and joked throughout the meal, which provided a great outlet for some of their stress; Naruto complained about his 'boss', the lead architect of the village, who continuously ran him into the ground with work, while Sakura reported on some of her patients progress as Amaya listened intently to them both, the wide smile on her lips never faltering.

Finally dinner ended and the two Konoha ninja helped their hostess tidy up before the two women presented Naruto with yet another surprise; his birthday presents.

"Aw, baa-chan, Sakura-chan, you didn't have to get me anything!" Naruto protested, a faint flush staining his cheeks as though he were embarrassed. Amaya simply laughed at his antics, thrusting a wrapped package into his hands and insisting he open it. With one last look towards the old woman as though for permission, Naruto ripped into the package, laughing in delight at what he found.

"Oi, baa-chan, this is awesome!" he grinned, holding the black sweater up for all to see. It was hand-knitted, a large orange spiral accenting the middle of the fabric's front while 'Uzumaki' ran across the back under the neckline. Naruto fingered the material gently, giving Amaya the most sincere smile Sakura had ever seen; she wasn't certain, but she thought she even saw the glint of tears in his cerulean orbs before he looked away, gazing at the sweater.

"Here," Sakura said gently, smiling at him as she handed him her gift. Naruto's gaze held hers for a moment, gratitude and unpretentious happiness reflected there. Sakura blinked, slightly stunned by the intense emotions he allowed her to witness after so long being stonewalled by him, and then he was ripping into the paper and grinning in delight once more.

"So cool! A new weapons kit!" He held up the weapons pouch, complete with brand-new kunai, shuriken, scrolls, wire, and other ninja necessities, for inspection before carefully replacing it within the box to look at the other gifts. His eyes sparkled with joy as he saw the new frog-shaped wallet and matching handmade scarf and hat set. Grinning so hard Sakura began to fear his features would become stuck that way—as though they weren't already most of the time—Naruto began to thank them profusely. Amaya waved away his many thanks with a smile, insisting it was the least she could do when their presence within her village brought such joy and support.

Sakura waved away his thanks as well, smiling as she stood, stretching and announcing she was retiring to bed; the day had been long, albeit exciting, and now she was ready to get some sleep. Bidding the two a good-night, she made her way to their shared bedroom where she prepared for bed in record time. She was just about to slip beneath the sheets when Naruto came in.

"Sakura-chan," he murmured, causing her to turn around at his tone. He watched her, a serious look in his eye as he laid his gifts down near his backpack and belongings. Sakura raised a brow in question to his tenor, wondering why he seemed so solemn all of a sudden.

"What's wrong?" she finally asked when he failed to say more. She sat on the bed, one leg tucked beneath her while the other dangled over the side, watching him intently. He stood at the far corner of the room, the same place he had attempted to make his bed their first night there, just watching her, his jaw moving subtly as though he were nibbling the inside of his lip in thought. Sakura felt her cheeks heat slightly at the intense gaze; Naruto _never_ studied her like that.

"I...want to thank you—" he paused as Sakura hurriedly interjected with, "Oh, there's no need; Amaya-san and I did it because you deserve—" she stopped as he began to take a few steps toward her. Suddenly her throat felt dry, the sensation of butterflies fluttering within her stomach and she had no idea why she was suddenly so nervous because _really_ it was just _Naruto_.

Right...just...Naruto.

He stopped a bit in front of her, hands clenched inside his pants pockets. He watched her a moment more, unaware of her galloping pulse or her disjointed thoughts, before he repeated, "I want to thank you, Sakura-chan…properly." Sakura's jade eyes widened slightly, her hands clenching the bed-sheets in tight fists.

"Properly?" she murmured, eyes glued to his. He nodded silently and she tried to focus on breathing like a normal human being; for God's sake, why was she getting so worked up? He hadn't _done_ anything to her!

'_Yet_' seemed to hang in the air.

"Close your eyes, Sakura-chan." Naruto said, though his words only caused her eyes to widen even more. He cracked a slight grin and lifted his hands from his pockets in the universal 'I'm harmless' gesture.

"I promise, I'll stand here and take it if you decide to punch me through the wall for what I'm about to do, but I'm not going to hurt you." He said quietly, a joking tone to his words while his eyes were all seriousness. Sakura stared at him a few moments more in silence, weighing her options before inhaling deeply and closing her eyes.

She heard his breath hitch slightly, as if surprised she'd actually obeyed, and then listened as his steps came closer until she could feel his body-heat against her legs and torso. Her fingers tightened within the bed-sheets, her mind whirling with possibilities of what he was about to do. Her heart about jumped out of her throat when she felt him lean in close and brush his lips against her forehead. She felt his lips move as lightly as butterfly wings against her flesh as he murmured "arigato" once more to her.

Then, suddenly, the heat was gone and she opened her eyes slowly, dazed to find him a few feet away, hands behind his back and a sheepish expression on his flushed face, though there was a heat in his eyes that belied the self-conscious appearance. She stared at him for a few erratic heartbeats, willing herself to grip some semblance of self-control, all the while realizing that in the dark corners of the recesses of her mind, she had wanted him to do _more_. Unable to think about _that_ as well as what had just happened, she pushed the feeling away in order to focus more on the here-and-now.

"So...uhm...yeah..." Naruto trailed off, shifting uneasily on his feet. Sakura couldn't help but smile at his awkwardness; it really had been a sweet gesture, even despite the turmoil it caused within her. She relaxed her grip on the sheets to pat a hand on his side of the bed, motioning for him to sit next to her. Naruto's look was skeptical, but he didn't resist; instead, he hurriedly changed into his pajama shorts and did as she silently asked.

"Close your eyes, Naruto," she told him, a look of mischief in her own. Naruto swallowed heavily and leaned away from her slightly.

"Uhm, Sakura-chan, no offense but if you're going to send me flying through the wall, I'd at least like the see it coming." He said, rubbing the back of his head wearily. Sakura's eyes narrowed and she waited until he gulped and nodded before obeying her.

Shifting on the bed so that she faced him fully, Sakura leaned in close, placing a hand on one of the blonde's whiskered cheeks, ignoring his instinctive wince, before placing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth and murmuring, "You're welcome."

She released him and leaned back, smiling as his eyes fluttered open, shock filling them. Without another word, she turned, slipping beneath the covers and turning off the light in a silent "good-night", leaving Naruto stunned in the silence.

* * *

><p>Yeah...sorry if they seem OOC at the end, I couldn't help it . Apparently I was in a "fluff" mood, so there ya go. XP<br>I'll try not to make you guys wait so long next time! . I really need to start writing on this again, though, since I've only got 10 chapters so far...which means you guys are catching up pretty quick. :c

Well, I hope you enjoyed! **R&R is always appreciated! :D Reviews = love!  
><strong>

~Miah-Chan


	7. Chapter 7

DX I am so sorry guys. You had to wait another month for me to update, _again_. T.T I have really horrible time management...  
>In my defense, I updated last time right before my semester was beginning to go into preparations for Finals...and since yesterday was my last day of exams, I finally had time to check in on when I'd last updated for this story and...I was embarrassed to have forgotten, again. OTL But, I guess the important thing is that I finally <em>am<em> updating now. XD **So, thank you _so much_ for your patience and willingness to continue reading; you guys are awesome! :D**

**Disclaimer:** I do _not_ own "Naruto" or any affiliated characters; all such belong to Masashi Kishimoto. :)

**Warning:** Just a heads up, there's a bit more foul language than usual.

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

"Heads up! Incoming!"

Naruto glanced upward at the shout that emitted from the roof of the most recent building he and many of the villagers were repairing; a large piece of lumber was sliding down the slick tiles, flinging itself into the air to soon land amongst the workers on the ground below. A piece that size could seriously injure anyone it came into contact with.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Instantly, ten clones adjusted themselves in position to catch the hazardous piece of wood before it could do any damage to the workers. Naruto nodded in satisfaction before dispelling the jutsu, leaving it to the remaining villagers to return the lumber to the roof as he returned to his own task. Moments later, he was swearing loudly and colorfully after having slammed his hammer onto his thumb.

"Son of a bitch!" he growled lowly in his throat, clutching the injured hand to his chest.

"Well, aren't we unusually vulgar and temperamental today?" came a voice from behind him, dripping with amusement. Naruto growled again and glared over his shoulder at his current boss.

"You would be too if you'd just smashed your finger to hell," he snarled, flexing his fingers even as his body began healing the injury. He might heal inhumanly fast, but fuck, it still _hurt_!

His boss, Shizuko Haruka, gazed at him with raised brows, detached humor causing his brown eyes to twinkle. Naruto had discovered his first day on the job that Haruka was one of the villagers who wasn't fond of the idea of needing outside help, though he had reluctantly accepted Naruto's after seeing his work ethic...and a little coaxing from Satoshi. Even so, Haruka had made it very clear that he wasn't up for making friends and had proceeded to treat Naruto as a grunt employee, regardless of how much Naruto might prove himself above the rest of the pack, ninja skills or not.

"You'll survive," Haruka grunted, pushing away from the doorway to approach him. Naruto turned to face him fully, curious now that he saw the travel-pack on the man's back; was he leaving town?

"You up for a little trip?" the older man questioned, brow raised. "I've got some new supplies to pick up from the next town over and thought I could use a pack-mule to haul them back for me." He grinned suddenly, startling the blonde; rarely had he seen the man smile, especially around him.

"Uh, yeah sure," Naruto answered, eyes brightening. Not only was this a form of acknowledgement from the elder, that he would choose Naruto over one of his fellow villagers to accompany him, but it was also a perfect opportunity to get some space from Sakura for a while.

Naruto mentally grimaced; in some ways he loved being so near Sakura, but it was still extremely difficult to keep behind the lines he'd drawn for himself for when he was around her. Take the previous night, for example! He'd _kissed_ her, for God's sake! Well, kind of; it might have just been her forehead, but it was something he'd only fantasized about doing in the past.

Though, if he were honest, it wasn't even really _his_ actions that had shaken him so much; it was _her_ reaction to them! First of all, she _hadn't_ pummeled him for daring to be so intimate with her, and second of all, _she_ had kissed him _back..._and _hers_ had been even more like an actual kiss than his own! What the hell could that even _mean_?!

He didn't know; surely it must have been a response to the atmosphere of the moment, perhaps helped along with the fact that she'd had a long day at the hospital and had been tired. Surely if she'd been in her right mind, been in the state of mind he knew as _Sakura_, she would never have done something like that...

Damn him, damn _her_, it had given him hope that they could maybe, somehow, one day actually be something _more..._but he knew, in the dark parts of his mind and heart, that _that_ could never happen. Her heart really belonged to Sasuke and there was nothing Naruto could do to change that, and he wouldn't try; it would be unfair and cruel to challenge her feelings that way.

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes, returning his attention to Haruka, who had given him instructions to pack for a few days and then to meet him at the gates to leave in a half hour. Taking this as permission to hand his task over to another worker, he did so and hurried back to Amaya's. The old woman wasn't home, so he left a note to explain to the two females where he was going before hurriedly packing and making his way towards the gates.

The beginning of their trip together was silent, both males lost in their own thoughts, until finally Haruka spoke up in a rather bored, uninterested tone, "Troubles with your lady-friend?"

Startled, Naruto stared at him a moment before answering, "Who, Sakura-chan? No!"

Haruka snorted, tossing the blonde a side-glance that told Naruto just how much he believed those words. The older man let out a long sigh, reaching up to scratch the back of his head as he seemed to ponder what he wanted to say next.

"Y'know kid, I've been around a while; a lot longer than you've been alive. Give me some credit; I think I know a man having woman problems when I see one. Been in your shoes once or twice," he chuckled now, brown eyes distant with fond memories. He was quiet a moment more before continuing, "So what's the problem?"

"Why do you care?" Naruto couldn't help but snap back, irritated that the man who had wanted nothing to do with him up until this point was suddenly a little too interested in his love-life...or lack thereof. Haruka sent him another one of those 'I'm not fooled by your bravado' looks.

"Call me a sucker for romance," he answered simply, waiting for Naruto to fess up. Said blonde sighed wearily, rubbing the back of his neck; the old man was right, he _was_ being unusually temperamental today.

"I just don't want to screw up what we have," he finally explained, eyes on the cloudless sky. "Sakura-chan...I've loved her ever since our Academy days. It was her smile I fell for first." His own lips tilted upward at the memory before continuing, "We've been teammates a long time and we've been through a lot together; she's my best friend. I'd do anything for her..." He trailed off with a sigh, lowering his gaze to the road before him.

Haruka's lips tilted into a knowing smile as he said, "You've got it bad, kid." Naruto rolled his eyes, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"I know," the boy sighed. "It's pathetic."

"Love is not pathetic," Haruka admonished softly. "If you're lucky enough to find it in your lifetime, well, you'll have experienced the most precious thing in the world. Not everyone is so lucky to feel the sincerity of true love, whether they're giving or receiving."

Naruto watched the man's craggy features soften again with memories. He wondered what Haruka must have experienced in his life to have such an expression.

"Anyway, does she know how you feel?" Haruka continued. Naruto shook his head, replying, "Not really; but then, I've never really said it aloud to her. I used to try to show her all the time when we were kids but...well, that was a long time ago and I've grown up some since then...I know better now."

Haruka raised a brow at those words. "Know better? What's that supposed to mean?" he asked curiously. Naruto shrugged, gazing at the sky again.

"Just, it's hard to prove your love to someone who's had her sights set on someone else for as many years as you've had yours on her." He answered simply.

Haruka raised a brow again at the sudden halt and questioned, "So she's in love with someone else? And that's what's holding you back?" At Naruto's sullen nod, Haruka grinned, laughing aloud, startling Naruto once again.

"Boy, I've seen you work; you've got some serious determination and a stubborn streak miles long. When you say you're gonna do something, you do it; regardless of how I may have treated you since you've arrived, I'm not blind. I can see that you put your heart into whatever you do; it's something few people can boast truthfully. And now you're telling me," he grew serious, dark eyes glued to Naruto's widened ones. Neither seemed to realize they'd stopped walking and were now facing one another directly. "You're expecting me to believe, after having seen what I have of your character, that you're not willing to use that _same_ determination and stubbornness to prove to the girl you love that you do, in fact, love her? Bullshit, kid. If there's one thing in this world that you should fight for tooth and nail, it's love. Get your ass in gear and sweep that girl off her feet!"

Naruto stared at the man in awe, mouth agape. He'd never expected to have this conversation with anyone, really, much less someone who was barely an acquaintance, and even less so to have them essentially throw his own nindo in his face. Then again, he'd only been having similar conversations with himself; how was that for a biased opinion? Maybe this was exactly what he'd needed; someone who didn't know either Sakura or himself intimately and could advise from a neutral stance.

Naruto grinned slowly, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I guess I've gotten so wrapped up in the negativities lately, I forgot the promise I made myself a long time ago; that I would pursue Sakura-chan as doggedly as she did Sasuke. I know that there's more to loving someone than just saying the words. You have to show them, prove it. Sometimes it might just take a bit more patience and stubborn persistence to win them over." He laughed slightly, tucking both hands behind his head and grinning at Haruka, who was smirking in satisfaction.

"Thanks, old man! The only things I've been obsessing over lately have centered on the idea that because Sakura-chan has feelings for someone else, I couldn't do anything to change it and that I shouldn't even try. But I guess that's not true; if I want to have the opportunity to at least _try_ to make something between us, I have to work as hard as I ever have, harder even, to help her see it too!" His eyes sparkled with a happiness and resolve that had been absent far too long.

"Exactly," Haruka agreed, subconsciously beginning to walk forward again, Naruto following beside him. "Besides, it's been years, like you said. How do you know that her feelings haven't changed in all that time? It's possible that she's already begun to see your sincerity and just has to catch up."

Naruto paused briefly, running Haruka's words over in his mind for inspection. Could that be true? Could he have been so wrapped up in believing that Sakura was still obsessed with Sasuke, that he could have missed the signs that her feelings had changed? It certainly seemed possible, if what had happened the night before was any indication.

Excitement ran through him, accompanied with a little fear; if Sakura _was_ beginning to acknowledge feelings for him, what if his recent actions and attitude were pushing her to hide them? He'd been distant and aloof from her ever since they'd begun this mission, while all she'd ever tried to do was shorten that distance.

"Jeez, I'm such an idiot!" he cried suddenly, tugging at his blonde locks in agitation. Haruka chuckled and waved him onward, replying, "Probably; you'll have the chance to fix it soon enough, though. C'mon, before the shops close and we have to wait an extra day to return." With that said, he quickened his pace, smiling to himself as he heard the young blonde running to catch up with him.

XxXxXxX

"Good evening, Amaya-san," Sakura said pleasantly, leaning down to kiss the old woman's weathered cheek. Amaya smiled warmly and returned the greeting, motioning for the kunoichi to sit down and eat. They chatted a while during dinner and when they'd finished Amaya began to clean up the dishes. Sakura looked on in confusion; usually Amaya waited for Naruto to return before she began cleaning.

"Amaya-san, has Naruto already eaten?" she questioned, automatically beginning to help her hostess in the cleaning. Amaya shook her head and pointed to a piece of paper on the counter, replying, "Naruto-kun won't be back tonight; he's accompanying Haruka on a trip to gather supplies. They'll return in a few days."

Sakura's brows lifted in surprise; Naruto had left the village without telling her first? That was unlike him, especially considering her position as Captain; if something out of the norm came up, he was supposed to let her know. They hadn't discussed the possibility of one of them potentially needing to leave the village, for any reason; Akatsuki was still out there, stalking Jinchuuriki, as well as Rain Country citizens who were less than happy with outside forces offering aid to Grass Country citizens. It would have been wiser to discuss what to do in either of their absences should something occur.

'_Baka,_' she thought sourly, scrubbing at the dishes in the sink. '_Can't even remember to inform his teammate/Captain what's going on._' She huffed, scrubbing at another plate in frustration.

"I'll finish that up, dear," Amaya told her softly, taking the dish from her hands. "You go get some rest; I'm sure the day was long and you must be tired." Sakura nodded absently, eyes unfocused as her concentration centered on her thoughts; she subconsciously kissed Amaya on the cheek, murmured a polite 'good-night' and retired to her bedroom.

She went through her familiar routine to prepare for bed; use the restroom, brush teeth and hair, and change into pajamas before crawling beneath the sheets and turning off the light. She lay in the darkness, the only light being that of the moonlight streaming through the sheer curtains adorning the window. Moonbeams spread themselves across the wooden floor, climbing up the foot of the bed to lie beside her, highlighting the empty side that was Naruto's.

Sakura gazed at the vacant pillow, noting the small dent imprinted from where Naruto normally laid his head. Her eyes narrowed slightly, confused by the sudden ache in her chest; she was...no, surely she wasn't feeling...lonely?

She missed that hyperactive blonde idiot?

'_I do,_' she realized with a sharp intake of breath. '_I miss him. I've gotten so used to having him here; it's weird to know I won't wake in the middle of the night with him lying beside me, taking up half the bed._' She smiled fondly at the thought. Once Naruto had begun to relax at the idea of sharing a bed with her—helped along with the fact that for the first week she'd had to medically sedate him with chakra without his knowledge before his body began to naturally relax without her help—he had proved what a bed-hog he could be. It was rare she was allowed even a quarter of the bed, the way he sprawled across it, a mix of long limbs and soft snoring. If she wanted to be comfortable, she either had to physically move him—which could be a useless effort, most nights—or snuggle close to him.

Her cheeks heated at the sudden blush that covered her face as she realized that she normally chose the latter option; she could blame it on being mostly asleep, she supposed, but if she was honest, she _enjoyed_ cuddling with the blonde. He was always warm, which was a blessing most nights as chilly as it got with autumn arriving, and he would make the cutest noise whenever she did so; something like a purr that emitted from deep within his chest.

It was so _odd..._and yet, natural at the same time. Naruto had been just about the only consistent in her life; he was _always_ there, joking, laughing, helping, supporting..._caring_. Even when he wasn't physically present, there were things that tended to remind her of him: the sky, especially in the summer when it matched his eyes; a flower in the springtime, especially daffodils or black-eyed-Susan's, waving merrily in the breeze; Itchiraku's, its mouthwatering aromas wafting through the village streets; the academy and Iruka-Sensei, who always inquired about the blonde's wellbeing.

'_Funny,_' she mused, tracing the sheets on Naruto's side with her fingers. '_I don't think I ever noticed so many reminders, even when I was crushing on Sasuke._' Her fingers stilled at the thought; _was, _as in past tense?_ Sasuke_, no suffix included? _Crushing_, rather than 'in love with'?

Was she over Sasuke? Finally, truly?

As she gazed at the unoccupied pillow and sheets beside her, her heart clenched in her chest and she knew the answer.

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><p>Shizuko = <em>quiet child<br>_Haruka = _far off; distant_

Well, that was probably a relatively uneventful chapter that I made you guys wait an entire month for...  
>Also, apologies for the rather sappy, romantic stuff going on there at the end...I'm not even sure what I was doing? I don't typically go for that kind of thing, but it's kinda stuck now XD<br>Anyway, thanks for reading guys. :) Even though I'm a horrible author that makes you wait for months at a time for a single update...  
>To kinda go off of that, I have an <strong>important author's note<strong> that I want to bring to light:  
><strong>Even though I am finished with this semester, I am going to be studying abroad for a month. I leave for this trip in roughly 2 weeks and I am unsure as of right now how often, if at all, I will be able to write on this story. I haven't had a chance to write on it in months, with this semester being particularly rough for me, and I know that I will be busy while abroad. Unfortunately, this means I may not have a chance to update again until after I come back home. I currently have the next chapter complete, so I will try my best to post it before I leave, to kinda hold you over until I come back. ;)<br>**

As always, thank you _so much_ for reading and supporting me with your various favs/follows/reviews. They all mean a lot to me :D You are part of my motivation to continue writing; it always brightens my day to see someone has added this story to their favorites/follows or has left a comment. **_You're all amazing!_**

Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed!  
>~Miah-Chan<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

OTL

I am _so _sorry for making you guys wait so long for another UD! / I honestly thought I'd have time to UD before now, but my study abroad was a lot more intense than I'd expected, and I had some personal issues to attend to once I returned home. **Once again, my apologies, but I really appreciate everyone's patience, understanding, and support. :) You're all amazing!**  
>Special shout-out to<strong> mikasa-sama <strong>for reminding me I had a story to attend to ;)  
>Now, without further delay, enjoy!<p>

**Disclaimer:** I do _not_ own "Naruto" or any affiliated characters; all such belong to Masashi Kishimoto :)

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><p><strong>Chapter Eight<strong>

"Oi, Jin, pass me that board would you?" Naruto called over his shoulder to a coworker. It was Saturday, three days since he and Haruka had left for supplies, and they were finally finishing the building they'd been working on; the workers had gotten a tremendous amount done just in the time that he and Haruka had been absent, which said a lot for their work ethic and determination to rebuild their home. Now that the Leaf nin and the lead architect had returned, work would get done even faster, especially with Naruto's cloning ability. They expected to complete their current project by the end of the day.

"Yo, Uzumaki!" called Haruka from across the yard. Naruto looked up in question but before he could reply he heard:

"_Naruto_!"

Naruto gulped as Sakura made her way through the crowd of workers, her green eyes blazing. He hadn't been back to Amaya's yet, as he and Haruka had thought it easier to get straight to work once they returned rather than haul the supplies all the way to their homes and then back to the work-site. The blonde looked frantically for an escape route, glaring mightily as the men around him snickered. He thrust the board Jin had just handed him back into the man's hands and turned to haul ass right as Sakura reached out, grabbing his ear between her thumb and forefinger to hold him in place.

"Wahh! Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried, knees buckling slightly at the pressure she exerted to keep him still. She ignored him, her eyes finding Haruka as she gave the older man a wide smile.

"I hope you don't mind if I borrow Naruto for the remainder of the day?" she inquired, though the look in her eyes brooked very little chance of her accepting any answer other than one of acceptance. Haruka's eyes twinkled with amusement and he met Naruto's blue gaze dead on as he answered the kunoichi, "Not a problem; he's all yours. His clones will be enough." Naruto glared at the architect before Sakura called out her thanks and pulled him away, still by his ear.

The blonde's cries earned him another series of snickers but before he could muster up a decent death-glare Sakura had pulled him off the site and around the corner, out of sight.

She gave him a slight shake before releasing him, causing him to stumble backwards into the building at his back, rubbing his abused ear with a pout. He raised his gaze to hers, reading the annoyance there and swallowed hard.

"Sakura-chan..."

"_That_ was for leaving without telling me first," she growled at him, hands on her hips as she glared at him. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I'm sor—" he began to apologize, but she cut him off.

"I don't want your apology; I want you to promise that next time you do decide to do something that irresponsible, you think about telling your teammate _in person_ first. Okay?" she waited, now folding her arms under her breasts, tapping her foot impatiently. Naruto sighed; she was right, after all she _was_ team Captain. He was supposed to run such actions by her before they could come to an ultimate decision together. She had every right to be annoyed with him.

"Right, Sakura-chan. I'm sorry; I'll remember next time." He told her, offering a small smile in hopes it would soften her. Her eyes studied his momentarily before she sniffed, nodding in satisfaction.

"Good. Now, let's go." She turned on her heel and began to walk off. Naruto raised a brow and called after her, "Where are we going? I ought to go back and help Haruka and the others finish up; don't you have a shift at the hospital?"

Sakura sighed as though his questions were ridiculous and answered without pause, "We are going to have lunch and then we're going to spar; it's been too long since our last training session. Satoshi-san ordered me to take the weekend off; everyone at the hospital is stable, and the few who are in danger of becoming unstable are in good hands with the nurses. And you're no longer needed at work, in case you didn't hear Haruka-san; your clones can help them finish. Now come on."

Naruto's eyes brightened at the words 'spar' and 'training'; she was right, it _had_ been too long since their last training session. Besides, it sure beat having to help build houses! Grinning, he took off after Sakura at a jog, quickly catching up with her.

They paused by Amaya's house to pick up a picnic-basket that the woman had packed for them and then set off again for the outskirts of the town where a large field of grass seemingly stretched for miles before ending at the threshold of forest. The two made their way across the field, finding a comfortable clearing within the dappled shade of the trees where they proceeded to set up for lunch.

Once comfortable and having succeeded in getting some food in their bellies, Sakura inquired casually, "So, how was your trip with Haruka-san anyway?"

Naruto smiled a bit and shrugged, taking another bite of the rice ball in his hand before replying, "It was fine. The village we visited is in better shape than this one since they traffic a lot of supplies for the surrounding towns. The people were kind of sketchy though; y'know, those sly kinds of venders who try to swindle every cent from you for products that aren't worth even half of the price they charge." He shrugged again, taking another bite before continuing, "Haruka got into it with the lumber guy; he had the shipment in but wanted Haruka to pay double what he'd asked for before we arrived. I swear Haruka was gonna pummel him!" He laughed, blue eyes shining in amusement.

"Anyway, it wasn't necessary in the end; some Rain Country official came in and set the guy straight. He even managed to get Haruka a discount in the end." Naruto's face scrunched up in thought. "I can't remember his name now, but he mentioned coming to visit to see how the village was holding up under the financial debt; he said something about wanting to help out, since it's his country that's causing the issue."

Sakura raised a brow in curiosity. It was unusual for Naruto to recall so many specifics about something that didn't really concern him directly; she was surprised he'd recalled so much about one man. Something must have been interesting about the Rain official for Naruto to even bother mentioning him.

"Well, I'm glad everything worked out well," she said simply, sipping at her drink. She studied the blonde, noting how relaxed and at ease he seemed; it was a complete contradiction to the aloof, edgy Naruto she'd seen so recently. He seemed back to his old self, for which she was thankful; she wasn't quite sure how to handle a quiet, tense Naruto, at least not for very long.

"Yeah. So things are going well at the hospital?" he asked, reaching for the thermos to refill his cup. Sakura smiled, nodding.

"Yes, everyone is doing exceptionally well! It was terrible how many people needed to be treated when we arrived, but now only a few are still in too ill a condition to leave." She beamed as Naruto exclaimed, "Wow, that's amazing Sakura-chan! You're awesome!"

A light blush colored her cheeks and she waved away his praise, saying, "It wasn't just me; I've had some incredible help. There may be few, but the nurses here are extremely fast learners; I've taught them a bunch of basic medical skills, which they picked up on almost immediately. There's one girl in particular who has the talent to become an exceptional doctor someday; I've been teaching her some more in-depth things so that when we leave she can become the hospital's top medic and manager."

Naruto grinned at her and teased, "Aw, you're just being modest." Sakura huffed at him half-heartedly, changing the subject by insisting that they clean up the remains of their picnic. Naruto's eyes brightened at the reminder that their training session wasn't far off and they hurriedly packed the picnic-basket as anticipation thrummed through them.

"Okay," Sakura said, nodding in satisfaction once they were done. "Let's get started then, neh?" Seeing Naruto's enthusiastic nod, Sakura grinned and reached into her pocket while Naruto looked on in curiosity. Seconds later, Sakura held something up to the light for him to see.

It was her bell, the one she had won from their match against Kakashi-Sensei when they'd first been reunited as a team. Naruto grinned, reaching into his jacket to pull his own bell. Sakura gave a nod, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"How about we train today with our own bell test? Whoever manages to capture the other's bell first wins?" She gave him a confident grin, jingling the bell for emphasis. Naruto's eyes narrowed in amusement and he asked playfully, "And what exactly does the winner win?" Sakura quirked a brow and seemed to seriously ponder it before shrugging.

"Whatever they want, no questions asked." she finally said, jade eyes locked with his azure ones, which widened at the proposed prize. They stared at one another in silence for a moment before Naruto's eyes narrowed in challenge. Each tied their bell to their hip before Naruto raised his hand before his chest, fingers forming the sign to signal he was ready to begin their match. Sakura smirked before mimicking the action; they watched one another a second longer before both murmured in unison, "Begin!"

They disappeared, each finding their own hiding spot to plot their strategy.

Sakura immediately hid herself within the uppermost limbs of surrounding trees while Naruto hunkered down in the field, his blonde locks a perfect match to the golden stalks surrounding him.

For a long time the only sound was that of the wind whispering through the leaves until, finally, a kunai shot out from one edge of the field towards the tree-line, impaling the bark right next to Sakura's head; her pink hair lifted in the undercurrent caused by the kunai while a confident smirk flirted with her lips, her bright jade eyes tracking the direction from which the kunai had come. She gripped the weapon's handle, yanking it from the trunk and sending it right back from where it'd come from, watching as a cloud of smoke indicated the loss of a shadow clone.

Naruto's eyes twinkled as he watched from his position in the field, tracking Sakura's movements through the trees. She leapt from branch to branch, bringing herself closer to the edge of the field, though she refused to leave the cover of the trees, knowing he was out there somewhere. Naruto gripped the shuriken in his hand, waiting for her to pause in her decent; finally he took advantage of a slight slip-of-the-foot and sent a handful of shuriken sailing towards the kunoichi. He heard her curse before she dropped to the ground to avoid the assault, disappearing behind the tree-trunk for cover.

Sakura waited a moment before sending her own handful of shuriken back towards Naruto; another puff of smoke told her she'd hit her mark. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes, concentrating on trying to track Naruto's chakra signature. She smirked once she found it; of course the brat had created multiple shadow clones to cover for him as he snuck around. She was surprised, really; he usually went straight for the attack, being the crazy, impatient knucklehead that he was.

'_He must really want to win,_' she thought right before the familiar sound of his Rasengan reached her ears, moments before the tree at her back began splintering under the force.

'_Shit!_' She leapt out of the way, turning in midair to face the onslaught, landing on the balls of her feet, balancing with one hand to the ground. Naruto's whiskered face appeared from behind the remains of the tree, a big grin plastered over his face; she mirrored it as she pressed her weight onto her hand, sending a large bought of chakra into the ground, creating a quick-moving crater that reached hungrily for the blonde. He yelped as the ground opened beneath him, swallowing the tree stump and the blonde at once.

The crater didn't go very deep, as she was trying to be considerate for the Grass Country's land; she walked towards the edge, gazing down into the depths as she jingled her bell over the space. She grinned and called, "You're not going to win coming at me like that, Naruto." His laugh was all the answer she stuck around to hear as she disappeared into the trees to plot her next strategy.

Naruto watched as Sakura jumped away from the new crevice decorating the Grass Country's property, grinning at her words. She was right, he probably _wouldn't_ win attacking her head-on like that, but it was always fun to try; besides, a diversion was a diversion, regardless of its subtlety or blatancy.

Having decided upon her next course of action, Sakura ran towards the field, heading directly towards one of Naruto's clones; the two met, battling hand-to-hand for a while before a chakra-induced punch sent the clone disappearing into a cloud of smoke, only to be replaced with two others. Sakura rid herself of them with a sound two-jab and roundhouse combo, turning and running straight towards the last clone hidden near the tree-line.

The two met head-to-head, this clone obviously aiming less to fight and more to simply dodge until he had an opportunity to snatch the bell from her hip. Sakura applied a more aggressive onslaught, refusing the give him the opportunity to win; finally she landed a punch, the clone vanishing. Letting out a deep breath, she stiffened as she became aware of Naruto's presence coming from directly behind; she turned and blocked a punch, having no choice but to go on the defense as he rained blows down on her, forcing her back.

Her back hit the trunk of a tree and she ducked, dodging one of Naruto's fists; she responded with her own punch, slightly chakra-induced, which he blocked with ease, swatting her fist away and lunging for her. She yelped, dropping and rolling away, disappearing into the trees once more.

Panting, Naruto grinned in the direction she'd gone, moving to follow when a silvery glint from the ground caught his eye.

Sakura's bell.

He did a double-take, surprised, then grinned at the supposed good-luck; bending carefully, he took hold of the bell gently; instantly, a rope appeared from beneath the leaves, wrapping around his ankle and hauling him up into the trees above. He laughed again, the bell having dropped to the ground and rolled away, before disappearing into a puff of smoke.

'_Damn! Another clone?_' Sakura thought agitatedly, worrying her bottom lip as she searched for the real Naruto. He laughed, appearing not far from where his clone had been caught, and called out in amusement, "Did you really think I'd fall for that old trick, Sakura-chan? Give me a little credit!" And then he bent to retrieve the bell.

'_Gotcha_,' she gloated inwardly as yet another trap was sprung and Naruto was caught yet again, hanging from the branches by his ankle. His curse made her giggle, until yet again, he disappeared. It was her turn to curse as the bell sailed through the air, straight towards the awaiting hand of Naruto—the real Naruto.

Naruto grinned, reaching out and grasping the bell; his fingers touched the cool metal an instant before it was jerked away from his hold, sailing back towards the trees. His eyes widened and he cried, "What?! Chakra strings?"

Sakura grinned, reeling the bell in quickly. Naruto lunged for it, grabbing hold, groping for his chakra-blade. Sakura growled, yanking with all of her inhuman strength, lifting the blonde off of his feet and causing him to sail through the air, still gripping the bell.

"Damn it," she cursed, launching herself from the branch she had occupied, steadily reeling in the chakra string. Their eyes met as they faced each other in the air and Sakura caught the glint of metal before the two crashed into one another, their momentum pushing them towards the field. Naruto's arms instinctively came around Sakura protectively as he twisted his body so that he landed on the ground first; they slid across the field a few feet before coming to a stop, dust settling around their prone bodies.

Sakura coughed softly, groaning as she lifted her chest off of the blonde to give him some breathing room; she opened her eyes to meet his blue ones, which were already focused on hers. They stared at each other a moment before Naruto burst into a wide grin, lowering his arms from around her waist and holding up a hand before her.

Between his fingers he held her bell, safe and sound. Sakura stared in shock, though she couldn't help but smile at Naruto's ensuing chuckles, so obviously filled with joyful victory. She blew out a breath and shook her head, saying, "I was so sure that chakra-string trick would work."

Naruto laughed, his blue eyes shining with triumph; he grasped her hand in his, passing her bell back to her as he murmured, "So, winner takes all, no questions asked, right?" Sakura grinned in response and agreed, "Right. No questions asked."

* * *

><p>Hope that sparring scene wasn't too awful XD I don't think I'm very good at writing action scenes, but I tried!<br>Hope you enjoyed (and that it was relatively worth the wait...)! Thanks again for your patience and support! :D

~Miah-Chan


	9. Chapter 9

OTL

I'm a horrible excuse for a writer & I can't believe I left you guys hanging, again, this time for almost 4 months. ***shame***

The only reasoning I really have is that time kinda got a way from me, with a new semester of college starting up again, and when I left off with this chapter I wasn't content with the ending (in fact, the end you'll read here is not what was originally written). But, I realized it'd been too long since my last update, and I really need to get writing on this fic again (you've officially caught up with me).

On a lighter note, I remember really enjoying writing this chapter; it's probably my favorite out of all of them, thus far. It's pretty much a huge fluff-ball of a chapter. ^^ The beginning is probably OOC for Sakura, but I don't care; I needed the fluff.  
>Hope you enjoy!<p>

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Naruto_ or any affiliated characters; all such belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine<strong>

The weeks passed by more rapidly for a while as Naruto and Sakura continued to put their whole hearts into helping the village regain its footing; of course, now that things seemed to be back to normal between them, the constant tension had faded, making it seem as though time was finally moving forward again. To say the least, it was a huge relief for them both.

The Leaf ninja had been in the Grass Country for just over two months; it was by far one of the longest missions they'd accompanied together to date. In a way, it was a learning experience for them in more ways than one.

For example, Sakura learned that, despite her initial assumptions regarding Naruto's cleanliness, or lack thereof, the blonde was actually meticulously clean about certain things. Sure, he often tossed his clothes on the bathroom floor after a shower and left them in a pile to mildew unless she scolded him, but he always made the bed and was even a little obsessive about how his weaponry was handled. It amused her to see the differences between their living-styles.

She hung her clothes up in the closet according to style and color, dirty ones in the hamper, while Naruto dumped his in a corner, somehow able to differentiate the clean from the dirty; Sakura's toiletry items, such as her toothbrush and hairbrush, were lined neatly on one side of the sink while Naruto's were strewn wherever there was space enough; Sakura kept her shampoo and body-wash in the cabinet next to the shower while Naruto continuously left any and all of his shower supplies scattered across the bottom of the stall floor.

Naruto liked to have the room pitch black at night whereas Sakura preferred soft moonglow; they had compromised this by pulling the curtains closed with a relatively wide crease in the middle so that the majority of the room was dark while still allowing moonlight to sneak in. The blonde enjoyed excessively long showers with the temperature set to nearly scalding, while the pinkette liked to relax by having a long soak in the tub.

Even despite these differences, as frustrating as they sometimes were, they managed to share their personal space with one another excessively well. In fact, there was one thing in particular they _both_ enjoyed equally, though neither had found the courage to admit they engaged in it more often than not.

Cuddling.

Every night, especially since their sparring session however many weeks ago, the two ended up cuddled with one another; it was usually an unconscious action, where one subconsciously turned to the other in their slumber, seeking warmth and comfort. Many times, however, the action was _not_ accidental...for either Naruto _or_ Sakura.

Naruto woke one particular morning, his arms wrapped around the pinkette's waist, his forehead resting between her shoulder-blades; her hair tickled his nose, tempting him to sneeze, but he held back in fear of waking her.

The blonde smiled, snuggling closer to the girl, nuzzling her back gently. She made a quiet noise in response to her slumber being disturbed before falling quiet again. Naruto grinned to himself; never in a million years would he have believed this moment could have happened! Yet here he was, cuddled up in bed with Haruno Sakura, his longtime crush and, he firmly believed, the love of his life. It was like a scene from a movie!

Sighing contentedly, Naruto glanced at the clock and growled at the time; he was going to be late if he didn't get up and begin getting ready. Groaning quietly in disappointment, he untangled himself from Sakura, instantly missing her body-warmth when he sat up and the chilly air rushed over his exposed skin. Shivering, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, stretching his arms above his head and yawning hugely.

He felt Sakura roll over and jumped in surprise when her arm came around his waist and yanked him down so that he was laying with his back to her. She made a quiet sound of appreciation and snuggled up to him, nuzzling his back happily.

"Warm..." she murmured, still mostly asleep. Naruto chuckled quietly and tried to sit up again, only to find her arm was effectively pinning him down. He sighed and took hold of her wrist, intending to move her arm so that he could get up and get ready. The young woman's limb tightened stubbornly, her fingers digging into the sheets to hold him in place.

Naruto laughed quietly, turning over to face her and whispering, "Sakura-chan, I have to get ready for work." He reached up to place a strand of her hair behind her ear from where it had fallen to tickle her nose.

"Mmm...no," she argued, tightening her hold even more. Naruto raised a brow in amusement and replied, "I have to; Haruka's got this plan in mind that will help us finish the two buildings we're currently working on by this afternoon." Sakura frowned in her sleep at the name of his boss before she surprised him by cracking open one eye to gaze up at him sleepily.

"Don't care; you're warm." She said simply, as though that were the best reason in the world for him to be late. Naruto grinned; he guessed it kind of was. Sakura was _cuddling_ with him—knowingly! How much better an excuse did he need? Besides, Haruka would understand; he _had_ been the one to tell Naruto to continue to pursue Sakura, after all.

"Okay." The blonde replied just as simply, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. She reclaimed her own arm, tucking both against his chest and nuzzling her head against his throat as she fell back asleep.

It was hours later before either of them woke again; this time it was Sakura to wake first, finding herself wrapped around Naruto in an effort to share body-heat to ward off the chill. She blinked owlishly for a moment before letting out a huge yawn, moving away from the blonde and stretching, giving little noises of satisfaction as she loosened her limbs.

A glance at the clock showed it was nine in the morning; it was a good thing it was Saturday or she'd have been extremely late to work. Satoshi had instructed for her to take the weekends off for the remainder of their stay since the patients were recovering so well. She had agreed without much argument, prepared to enjoy the opportunity to relax and spend time with Amaya and Naruto.

Smiling, she gave the blonde a quick glance—he was sprawled across most of the bed now that she'd moved away—before quietly getting out of bed and padding to the bathroom to shower.

Naruto woke not long after Sakura, gazing blearily at the ceiling before glancing at the clock; his blue eyes widened in horror as he saw the time and he leapt from the bed, rushing around the room to gather clean clothes even as he discarded his pajama shorts before bursting into the bathroom to grab a quick shower.

Sakura chose that exact moment to step from the steaming tub, reaching to wrap a towel around her. Naruto yelped once he realized she was occupying the bathroom, having assumed she had already left for work since she hadn't been in bed; Sakura shrieked in surprise, jade eyes wide with shock. Naruto tried to come to an abrupt stop but the tiles were slick with condensation and his arms wind-milled as he fought to catch himself; he was unsuccessful and soon found himself colliding with Sakura.

The two toppled onto the tiles, Naruto pinning Sakura down while they each groaned in pain from the fall. Silence ensued for all of two seconds while they stared at each other in mortified shock before Sakura shrieked again, fighting to pull her towel over her breasts.

"_Naruto_! Get off of me! Perv!" she shoved at his chest, her skin still slick with water, resulting in a rather unsuccessful push. Naruto's face blushed scarlet while he fought to find purchase on the slick floor, crying in denial, "Sakura-chan, it's not like that! I thought you were gone! I'm sorry!"

"It's Saturday, where the hell else would I be?!" she retorted, her face ablaze with a massive blush. Naruto finally managed to push himself to his hands and knees, still kneeling over her as he stuttered for a response.

It was then that Sakura realized she wasn't the only one naked; she shrieked again, slapping a hand over her eyes as her blush intensified.

"_Naruto!_"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he yelped, still unaware of the new predicament. Sakura gave a low growl and hissed, "_Why_ are you _naked_?!"

Naruto stopped his stuttering long enough to let her words fully dawn on him, even glancing down as if to check and see if she was right. Seeing that she was, his blush intensified tenfold as he yelped and jumped up, searching for the clothes he'd had from when he'd entered the bathroom in the first place. Grabbing the first piece of cloth he could find, he hurriedly covered himself, apologizing in earnest all the while.

Sakura peeked through her fingers, ignoring his apologies; her gaze instantly locked onto strong, muscular calves that lead upward to just as powerful thighs, which in turn lead to prominent hipbones, a washboard abdomen, a wide chest and broad shoulders. Muscular arms tapered down to callused hands, which were now clutching a small towel, not much larger than a dishcloth, to shield her wandering innocent eyes from more intimate areas.

Sakura's blush deepened to crimson even while her first thought was, '_Holy shit, when did Naruto become so...sexy?!_'

"S-Sakura-chan...?" Naruto said tentatively, afraid of what she might do next. Even as trepidation coursed through him, he couldn't help but let his gaze roam over her. Her skin was flushed from both embarrassment and the fresh shower, her hair clinging to her cheeks, neck and shoulders, leading his eyes to the swell of her breasts, barely concealed by the towel she clutched over her torso; he could make out the subtle curves of her hips from beneath the flimsy cloth, hips that flared and tapered to strong thighs and calves, ending with dainty ankles and tiny feet. The blonde gulped as awareness shot through him; Sakura had always seemed pretty to him, but like this...damn, she was _breathtaking_.

The two were silent as they studied one another, mortified yet still curious as to the new sides they were seeing in each other. Finally their eyes met, awareness strong between them when it had been previously absent. Neither spoke, afraid to make an already awkward, albeit eye-opening, situation even more awkward.

Eventually Sakura began to giggle nervously; she clapped a hand over her mouth, trying to shield the sound but it became too much and she burst out into laughter. Naruto, recognizing that he'd barely managed to avoid a minefield, began chuckling in nervousness as well before he, too, was bent over in laughter.

They laughed away their nerves and embarrassment, the tension dissipating. Sakura sat up, her sides aching from laughing so much and she gasped out, "Baka...you really should learn to knock!" Naruto let out a loud laugh of amusement, nodding his head in agreement.

"I think I'll remember to do that next time," he chuckled, blue eyes twinkling as they met her jade ones. Sakura snorted, pushing herself to her feet and waving a finger at him playfully.

"I'm not counting on that; I'll just lock the door from now on!" Naruto grinned back at her, calling out as she exited the bathroom, "You know, that'd probably be a good idea!" He was rewarded with her merry laugh of agreement before he turned towards the shower to at least accomplish _one_ of his intentions from that morning.

XxXxXxX

"Naruto-kun, Sakura-san! Come quickly!" called Amaya excitedly from the kitchen later that morning. After their little incident in the bathroom, Naruto and Sakura had kept a bit of space between themselves with Sakura working on knitting a new sweater (something Amaya had been teaching her) while Naruto, after realizing it was Saturday and therefore _not_ a workday, had stayed in their bedroom to clean his weaponry.

At the sound of Amaya's cries, both Leaf nin jumped up from their chosen seats and rushed to the kitchen to check on their hostess. They reached the room at the same time, Naruto yelling, "What is it, baa-chan? Is everything okay?"  
>Sakura rapped her knuckles against the back of his head with a little more force than necessary, causing him to whine at her in pain; she nudged him, rolling her eyes, and said, "Naruto, there's no need to <em>yell<em>. We're all in the same room."

He stuck his tongue out at her, earning himself a slap to the back of the head this time, but he laughed at the halfhearted action. Amaya watched the two in amusement a moment or two before replying excitedly, "Look!" She pointed out the window above the sink to the backyard.

The two did as asked, turning their gaze to the window. Sakura's lips turned upward in a delighted smile as Naruto cried out happily, "Snow!"

"The first of the season," Amaya smiled, turning to her previous task of fixing lunch. Naruto giggled like a small boy and grabbed Sakura's hand, yanking her toward the door; Sakura squeaked in surprise, pulling back, crying, "Naruto! What are you doing?"

"C'mon Sakura-chan, let's go outside!" Naruto insisted, tugging her harder. Sakura shook her head in dismay, replying, "_Naruto_. We're not kids; besides, you'll freeze going out there in shorts and a tank-top!" Naruto looked down at his clothes in surprise, as though he'd forgotten he'd dressed in them.

"Yeah I guess you're right. Well, c'mon, it's not like we didn't pack for this kind of thing! Let's go change!" he grinned at her, changing direction abruptly and beginning to pull her towards their bedroom. Sakura protested, pulling at her wrist in an attempt to dislodge her hand from his; Amaya laughed and called to the disappearing pair, "I'll prepare you a thermos and some supplies." Sakura gave the old woman an exasperated look before disappearing around the corner.

After a good amount of time spent begging and whining, Naruto finally convinced Sakura to go play in the snow with him; he grinned in triumph, skipping away as she changed into her winter apparel. He gathered a basket full of various items from Amaya, gave her a kiss on the cheek in thanks, then grabbed Sakura's mitten-clad hand to drag her out into the snow.

Sakura laughed lightly at the blonde's enthusiasm, pulling back just under the porch, causing Naruto to stop and toss her an impatient look over his shoulder. Sakura smiled softly, clutching his hand and pulling him back towards her gently. His blue eyes widened a bit as she leaned in, but all she did was reach up to pull a cap over his head and twine a scarf around his neck, tucking it into his winter coat snuggly. She pat his chest, satisfied, and then stepped out into the snow, leaving Naruto to stare after her a moment before grinning and running to catch up.

"It's been snowing way before Amaya-san called us to see it," Sakura mentioned in slight surprise, her breath coming out in a puff of air. She surveyed the yard; everything was covered in at least two feet of snow, proof of how long the snow had been falling. If she had to guess, it had probably begun even before she and Naruto had woken; with the events of the morning, however, neither had paid much attention.

"Awesome! That means there's more to use!" Naruto announced happily, his boots crunching softly as he made his way towards the middle of the yard. Sakura raised a brow, though amusement shown in her eyes, and she asked simply, "Use?"

"To build a snowman, of course!" he answered matter-of-factly. Sakura laughed, shaking her head as she touched a hand to her face, hiding her grin. What a kid.

Naruto stopped, looking over a section of the ground before nodding seriously and flopping onto his back, snow puffing up around him as he proceeded to make a snow-angel, giggling like a little child. Once he had finished he carefully picked himself up, trying his best not to ruin the newly-made shape. He teetered a moment as he regained his feet, but jumped forward before he could ruin the snow-angel. Grinning, he pointed at it and looked at Sakura.

"Your turn!"

Sakura raised a brow and replied in a serious tone, "I don't know Naruto...I happen to be the _champion_ snow-angel maker. You might not want to chance it." Naruto stared at her a moment before bursting out into laugher.

"Sakura-chan!" The kunoichi grinned, making her way towards him; she studied his angel a moment before 'tsk'-ing as though disappointed, shaking her head for emphasis.

"No, no; let me show you how it's done." And with that, she flopped on her back into the snow beside his angel, proceeding to make her own. She finished and flawlessly removed herself from the imprint, leaving a perfect snow-angel. Naruto raised a brow.

"Tie," he finally declared, nodding decisively. Sakura mock-glared at him and shook her head, replying, "No way. Mine's totally better." Naruto met her gaze, challenge blazing in the blue depths.

"What, you wanna go to war over it?" he questioned, smirking. Sakura smirked back and stepped up to him, murmuring, "So what if I do?"

Naruto grinned and disappeared into a cloud of smoke as a snowball smashed into the back of pinkette's the head. She whirled in surprise, jade gaze locking to cobalt; Naruto was on the other side of the yard now, tossing a new snowball in his hand. He grinned at her, and then winked.

"Then its war!" he declared, firing the snowball. Sakura yelped, ducked, and ran to take cover behind one of the few trees in Amaya's yard. Naruto laughed, firing yet another, this one splattering against the bark of the tree.

"Wait, wait!" Sakura laughed, holding out her hands. Naruto lifted his arm, preparing to pelt her with another snowball, but paused, lifting a brow in question. Sakura smiled and suggested, "Can't we at least build ourselves a decent fort first?"

Naruto grinned proudly; Sakura was finally willing to play. As a reward, he agreed to take a time out long enough for them each to build forts before they once again declared war.

The snowballs fell like miniature bombs, most hitting flimsy snow-forts or the sides of the house, though some managed to hit their mark. Amaya watched from her living-room window, sipping on coffee and smiling at the two young one's actions. It was nice to see them having so much fun after having worked so hard since they'd arrived; they were still children, after all, at least in comparison to her. She felt they deserved the chance to _act_ like children, at least for a little while.

Outside, Sakura was getting slammed by a barrage of snowballs, her rickety little fort failing to protect her. She gasped as snow found its way beneath her clothes, chilling her skin, but had no opportunity to call for a time out before a new barrage of snow came at her. She shrieked, laughing, covering her head with her arms as she ran for sturdier cover.

Naruto grinned as he saw Sakura retreat to the edge of the house. He held up a hand, signaling the clones he'd made to cease fire. He waited a moment, listening, before calling out, "Do you surrender, Sakura-chan?" Receiving no answer, he grinned and motioned for two of his clones to sneak around the side of the house and ambush Sakura from one side, instructing two more to do the same by following the same route she had taken to go into hiding. This left him with six clones, three of whom were continuing to create snowballs for their arsenal.

"Sakura-chan...!" Naruto called in a sing-song voice, covering for the footsteps his clones would undoubtedly make in the snow. "You can't hide forever, Sakura-chan! C'mon out and admit surrender!"

To his left, three of his clones disappeared in a cloud of smoke, causing him to turn in surprise; to his right, the rest of his clones disappeared as well. Naruto spun on his heel just in time to see a pink blur rush at him; he blocked the halfhearted punch, engaging in playful hand-to-hand combat with Sakura for a while before she leapt at him. Laughing at the uncharacteristic move for the pinkette, Naruto dodged easily but watched in shock as the girl disappeared into a puff of smoke, a mischievous grin on her lips.

"Wha—a shadow clone?!" he cried in surprise, turning to search for the real Sakura. He was introduced instead with a face-full of snow. Sputtering, he wiped at his eyes, blinking through the frozen particles to see a smirking Sakura standing in front of his arsenal of snowballs. He chuckled nervously as two of her shadow clones appeared from around the two sides of the house, flanking him.

"Sakura-chan...we can come to a truce, right? Sakura-chan...?"

Sakura grinned at him smugly, reaching down and grasping a snowball in each hand. Her clones followed suit, waiting for her signal.

"I don't recall agreeing to the use of outside force in our little dispute, Naruto." Sakura said conversationally, her jade gaze filled with amusement as they locked onto his. He grinned, scratching the back of his head sheepishly, shrugging.

"What can I say, all's fair in love and war, right?" he chuckled. Sakura snorted, eyes narrowing even as she smiled; instantly, he was pelted with snowballs from the clones. Yelping at the cold, Naruto turned to retreat but Sakura was faster. She leapt forward, grabbing a handful of his coat, turning him back to face her and planting both snowballs in his face.

Naruto sputtered even as he grabbed her by her own coat and pulled her close; their feet tangled and they fell to the ground, Sakura on top of Naruto. She laughed, grabbing another fistful of snow and shoving it under his scarf. Naruto howled at the cold even as he began laughing, realizing how easily Sakura had tricked him and used his own ambush strategy against him.

"That's for cheating," the pinkette whispered in his ear; Naruto's eyes widened as he realized their proximity, the warmth of her breath a direct contrast to the freezing snow. Sakura sat up so that she could see his face; her triumphant grin made him realize for the second time that day just how pretty she was. Naruto smiled softly, reaching up to run his fingers over her cheek, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear; Sakura stopped giggling, now staring at him in surprise, confused by the sudden change in his demeanor. Naruto gave her a big grin, chuckling at his loss, even as he dumped a fistful of snow down the neck of her winter coat.

Sakura squealed, jumping up and away from him as she fought to shake the offending snow from her warm clothing; Naruto continued to lie where he was, laughing as though his little trick was the funniest thing in the world.

A huge armful of snow suddenly cut off his laughter as it landed on his face. Sakura grinned as he jumped out from beneath it, shivering convulsively and coughing, his cheeks apple-red from the cold. Once he'd regained his breath, the two looked at each other, smiling, each expecting the other to try yet another trick.

When it appeared neither had anything else up their sleeve, Naruto stuck out a hand and asked, "Truce?" Sakura giggled and nodded, locking her fore-and-middle fingers with his to create the symbol of harmony.

"C'mon, let's get something warm in our bellies before we make snowmen," Sakura suggested, tugging him towards the porch where they opened the basket, revealing a thermos of hot chocolate and various supplies for adequate snowman building. They sat close together, sharing body heat and hot chocolate, laughing as they discussed their snowball fight and planned how to build their snowmen.

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><p>Hope you enjoyed! I'm going to be honest &amp; tell you up-front, <strong>I have no idea when the next UD will be<strong>. I haven't written the next chapter, and as mentioned above, college is back in session. On the brighter side, I do still know where I want to take this fic; the only thing is, I'm unsure how long it'll take to get there.  
><strong>Even so, thank you all for sticking with me (and my irregular updating periods) and supporting both this fic and me. I can't express enough how much I appreciate it; seeing that someone has favedfollowed/reviewed always makes me smile and brightens my day. THANK YOU, YOU FANTASTIC PEOPLE YOU! :D**

~Miah-Chan


	10. Author's Note

Hello lovelies.

I know this is not the update you were all looking forward to and I apologize. But, it's been a year since I last updated and I thought I'd made you all wait long enough.

**I am currently discontinuing this story.**

Ever since the release of Chapter 700 I've lost inspiration to write for the _Naruto_ fandom. I won't go into my opinion of how the manga ended but I will say that I was disappointed and that I have found it difficult to be passionate about writing _Naruto-_related fics since.

I still love the relationship and dynamic between Naruto and Sakura; perhaps one day I'll pick this up again and continue it. However, **I did not feel that it was fair to keep you waiting for another chapter that I knew would not come.**

I apologize again for disappointing you but  
><strong>thank you all so much for the love and support you've shown me throughout my time with this fandom.<br>**

* * *

><p>NON-NARUTO RELATED:<p>

Feel free to check out my bio and see whether we share love for other fandoms! I hope to start expanding my writing to my other interests soon (damn college for sucking away any-and-all creative brain cells). **A few of my current addictions are:**

• Beyond the Boundary/KNK  
>• Fairy Tail<br>• Miraculous Ladybug  
>• Noragami<p>

I turned to **_Fairy Tail_** after _Naruto_ ended and I have completely fallen in love! I have a few one-shots hidden in my files that I plan to release soon.  
><em><br>**Beyond the Boundary**_ makes me cry; Akihito and Mirai are precious cinnamon rolls and if you haven't watched the series yet (only 12 episodes! And a movie that just released this summer!) GO SELL YOUR HEART!  
><em><br>**Noragami**_ is a recent love I discovered early this Fall; come join me in Yatori hell :D (there's the manga AND an anime; only 12 episodes for the first season & they just started a second season about two months ago!)  
><em><br>**Miraculous Ladybug**_ is my most current addiction and I'm head-over-heels in love with the MariChat ship of the love square that includes only two people (yes you read that right). I have a fic idea brewing for these two. :)

So yeah, come join me in these four hells; I promise to provide you with sufficient amounts of fluff and angst as you suffer deliciously. ;3

~Miah-Chan


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